


Acasă

by Heroic_Euphoria



Series: Vatră [3]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Established Relationship, Family, Family Drama, M/M, Married Couple, Parenthood, Post-Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2020-09-26 22:59:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20397550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heroic_Euphoria/pseuds/Heroic_Euphoria
Summary: Adrian Ţepeş and Trevor Belmont live in what was Dracula's Castle with their two children as Trevor repairs and rebuilds the Belmont hold. Their life is quiet and domestic until former devil forgemaster, Hector, visits them. Hector claims his former fellow forgemaster, Issac, is attempting to resurrect Dracula as a curse overtakes the land. Trevor and Adrian must decide how to assist Hector in keeping Dracula from returning while protecting their family.(Reading the previous works in the series not needed to follow the story.)





	1. The Visitor

The day was crisp and clear, the noon sun hovering over the trees. Adrian walked side by side with his husband, Trevor. The breeze rustled their hair, a calmness brushing the leaves and grass surrounding their home. Adrian held the hand of his toddling son. Trevor pushed a carriage with their six month old daughter inside. 

When they first met, if they would’ve been told of the life they would build together, they both would’ve scoffed. The times were different. 

Adrian laid a blanket on the grass, placing a basket on top. He sat and smiled, patting his lap. His son, Laurent, toddling and sat on his legs with a giggle. Adrian smiled and cuddled him, placing kisses all over his face. The toddler laughed, and it echoed in the space around them. 

Trevor took their daughter, Lisa Marie, out of the carriage and held her. He sat beside Adrian, and together they worked to unpack their lunch. It was quiet, save for the babbles of their children and the couple’s breathy chuckles. 

They lived in the castle that Adrian grew up in with his parents, and together, they raised a family of their own there. In the same hold was the Belmont keep. The grounds of the keep were still in ruins, but the vault underneath had been nearly repaired to its former glory. 

It was a quiet life. One hard earned after many years of hardship. 

“Are you hungry, Lisa Marie?” Trevor cooed, pulling a bottle out of the basket. He held and fed her, a smile on his lips. “That’s Papa’s strong little girl!”

Adrian smiled. He gave Laurent a soft cookie and he gnawed on it. Trevor looked at them with proud eyes. 

“We’ve got a couple of damn adorable kids,” he said. 

“Agreed, Adrian nodded. “Laurent looks more like you as the days pass.”

“Yeah. And Lisa Marie looks just like you. She has since the day she was born. Not to mention, they’ve both got your piercing eyes.”

“Damn?” Laurent babbled, his tone questioning. He peered up at Trevor, the cookie still in his hand. 

“Oh, honey, don’t say that!” Adrian exclaimed. He cupped his son’s ears as Trevor laughed. 

“The Belmonts have always had mouths on them,” he chuckled. 

“Well, he needs to wait until he’s older to take after you in that way,” Adrian grumbled. He sighed and bit into a cookie, studying the clear sky. “The vault repairs are nearly finished…” he mused aloud. 

“There’s a few more things to repair, then it’ll be done. It’ll be up to us to add to it.”

“Are you sure that wedding portrait of us belongs in the Belmont vault?” Adrian frowned. 

“Why not?” Trevor shrugged with a furrowed brow. “That’s where Belmont family heirlooms belong. There are portraits of my ancestors there spanning back centuries.”

“Well...I’m not exactly a Belmont.”

“No, but you’re the spouse of one. You’re part of the Belmont lineage, Adrian. I’ll be damned if our descendants don’t acknowledge that our family still exists because of you.”

Adrian flushed. “Well, I’m not sure how the future heirs will take to me knowing what I am and who they share their blood with.”

“I don’t care. I wouldn’t have kids if you didn’t volunteer to give me them,” Trevor shrugged again, kissing his daughter on the head. “It wasn’t easy for you, doing all that spellwork, developing serums, manipulating yourself, just so you could give us a family.”

“It was a small sacrifice for our happiness.”

“I’d say it was a bit more than that,” he chuckled. “Aren’t you glad to be your normal self again?”

“Sure,” Adrian sighed. Laurent played with his hair. “I feel like a different person now than I did when we first met, Trevor.”

“I feel like I’m different too. I enjoy being a family man.”

“So do I.”

Laurent pushed himself off Adrian’s lap. He turned around, his fingers on his lip. “Hi...Daddy…” he said quietly. 

“Yes? Do you need anything, my dear?” Adrian asked, peering up at the boy standing in front of him. Laurent shook his head and rubbed his eyes. 

“Daddy…”

“Hm?”

He didn’t answer. Adrian frowned and pulled him back into his lap. He brushed through his hair and frowned, Laurent lulling against his chest. 

“He’s a bit warm,” Adrian said. Trevor leaned over and felt his forehead. He grunted. 

“Yeah. What do you think it is?” Trevor said. He felt his daughter’s face. “She’s a bit warm too…” 

“What?” Adrian felt her face for himself. Afterward, he felt Trevor’s cheek, which seemed normal. He sighed, trying to work through information in his mind. 

“Maybe it’s just from being in the sun.”

“We take them outside all the time and this has never happened before.”

Before they could continue their conversation further, Trevor jerked his head to the side. Adrian heard just what caused that response: the crunching of pebbles on the path leading to their home. He bit his lip. No one had any business walking up the path to their hold. It was extremely secluded, most wouldn’t even know it existed. It wasn’t likely Sypha, her caravan wasn’t in the area at the moment. 

A figure came into view. It was a fairly tall man with pale skin and shoulder-length grey hair. He wore blue and grey armor, his face heavy and eyes sunken. Trevor stood and Adrian followed, Laurent in his arms. They were both on the defensive, Adrian’s eyes landing on the whip on his husband’s hip. They never went outside without one of them wearing a weapon, they were cautious due to the war they had fought together.

Trevor put the little girl in Adrian’s free arm. He took the whip off his hip. “Adrian, take the kids and go inside.”

“A-Are you sure you can handle it alone?” Adrian asked as the man continued to approach. 

“It’s fine. Just get the kids out of here.”

“Alright.”

Adrian closed his eyes. He appeared in his bedroom, far above the ground they were using for a family picnic. The children were still in his arms, and unphased by the sudden change of scenery. It was a strange thing to have children that shared his vampiric blood, it meant he could teleport with them in his arms and they would follow. He hadn’t used it much, but now it proved helpful in keeping them safe. He placed his son and daughter in their separate cribs in his bedroom. They still hadn’t figured out what was causing the warmth in their children, yet there was another situation that caught their attention. Adrian gazed out the window and saw Trevor and the man face-to-face with a large gap between them. 

**~*~**

Trevor wrapped the whip around his forearm. The man stopped, staring up at him with wide eyes. The air between them was stiff, Trevor’s body already in a defensive stance and ready to pounce. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” he spit, his voice stern. 

The man blinked. His eyes fell to the crest on Trevor’s tunic. “Who...are you a Belmont?”

“It doesn’t matter. You don’t have any business here. Leave.”

“The castle was moved to the Belmont ruins…” he thought aloud, peering up at the castle ahead. Trevor grit his teeth and wound the whip tighter. 

“Who the hell are you?”

“My name is Hector. I worked for Dracula as a devil forgemaster.”

Trevor’s eyes widened. He threw the whip in Hector’s direction, but it was quickly dodged. Hector put up his hands in surrender, his eyes pleading and wide. 

“P-Please...hear me out,” Hector begged. “I gave up forge mastering. I had a fellow forgemaster during the war, his name was Issac. He’s trying to resurrect Dracula and restart the war that ended.”

“I don’t trust a damn word you say. At this point the chances of you leaving here alive are low,” Trevor retorted, gearing his whip up for another throw. 

Hector shook his head, waving his hands frantically. “Please, listen, Belmont,” he said, his voice still pleading, “I realized my wrongs during the war. I’ve tried to live a peaceful life. I had a fiancee, I was going to start a family...Issac claimed she was a witch and had her burned at the stake. He’s trying to get me angry, for me to get blinded by grief so I follow in Dracula’s footsteps.”

“So? What does that have to do with me? Like I said, you have no business here.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said he’s trying to resurrect Dracula.”

“Didn’t you hear  _ me? _ I told you I don’t trust a damn word you say.”

Hector sighed. “The land is cursed. Illness, violence, fighting...I’ve done research on what it could be. I’ve found that it’s likely a curse hanging over Wallachia from the war. All the creatures that were forged, when they died, they sunk into the ground. Just because they died doesn’t mean their bodies cease to be of negative energy.”

“Why are you here?” Trevor asked. His defenses weren’t lowered, but this information piqued his interest. They couldn’t have someone out there trying to resurrect Dracula. It was nothing but trouble, and it would destroy Adrian’s mental state. He didn’t want either impacting his family. 

“Dracula’s castle holds immense amounts of information. I’ve been trying to find it because I hope to search for the solution to this problem. He had texts on how to curse, there should be texts on how to remove them also,” Hector paused, gazing up at the castle. His eyes fell to Trevor’s hands. “Are you married?” he asked. 

Trevor grunted. He abstained from answering, even though the truth was obvious enough by the band on his finger. Hector shrugged and looked to the abandoned picnic further up the path. 

“You have children as well…” he mused aloud. Trevor tightened his whip. 

“You’re lucky I haven’t gutted you yet…” Trevor responded. Hector shook his head. 

“I’m not here to fight you. I honestly thought Dracula’s castle would’ve been abandoned. If you are a Belmont, we need to work together to stop Issac from resurrecting Dracula. We also need to rid the land of the curse the war left behind.”

“I  _ might _ be interested in that venture, but it doesn’t mean I’m letting you anywhere near this castle.” 

“Do you live in Dracula’s castle?!” Hector exclaimed, his eyes wide. “With your spouse and children?!”

Trevor didn’t answer. Hector waved his hands frantically again, pointing the spiraling heights above them. 

“Belmont, you need to get your children out of that castle,” he insisted, a panicked edge to his voice. 

“What? Why should I?” Trevor asked, his heart rampaging in his chest. He cursed himself, he had given away information to a stranger without thinking. Adrian wouldn’t approve. 

“The curse has started to surface. It may have been fine to live there before, but now it’s dangerous. That’s where I forged the hellions I unleashed into the world. The energy from that work is likely still abound, even if you cleaned the place. It’s _ Dracula’s _ castle, the place where the curse was born!”

Trevor glanced behind him to the castle. It was true, his husband and small children, both under the age of two, were within. He looked to Hector again with narrow brows. 

“If it’s cursed, why would you volunteer to go in there?” he asked. 

“We can place protective wards on ourselves to keep the curse from influencing us. However, you can’t place the particular type of ward needed on a child. Belmont,  _ believe me. _ Your children will get sick if you don’t get them out of there. There’s no telling how severe it will be, given the castle is the epicenter.”

“If it’s cursed, why wouldn’t I have noticed it?”

“It’s not easily detectable. I started noticing abnormalities in the populace, but it was never enough for me to connect the dots. But, when Issac confronted me, he admitted he was attempting to resurrect Dracula  _ and _ manipulate the curse simultaneously. After that encounter I began my research and started searching for the castle.”

Trevor licked his lip. It seemed plausible, and he’d be damned if he let his children get sick because he was stubborn. Just because he or Adrian didn’t notice it yet didn’t mean it wasn’t already influencing their babies. It was always said children get sick before the adults, and they  _ had _ been warm at their picnic…

“Do you have weapons on you?” Trevor asked. 

Hector nodded. He took out a dagger and a short sword, throwing them on the ground between them. Trevor snatched them up and pocketed them. He beckoned Hector to follow him. 

“I don’t quite trust you... _ yet _ …” Trevor said, “but I will let you show me where you worked and what you’re talking about.”

“That’s fine,” Hector nodded. “Like I said, I’m not here to hurt you or your family. I’d like to think we’re on the same side in this, I don’t want a resurrection any more than you do.”

“I sure as hell don’t want to fight Dracula again. I’m going to take your word at face value, _ for now _ , and get my family out of there before we do anything else.”

“Please.”


	2. The Column

Adrian carefully watched the confrontation many stories below him. He couldn’t see much at the height he was, but he did see when Trevor thrusted a whip in the direction of a pale haired man. Adrian grimaced. He was tempted to go back down to give him support, but held off due to watching over his children. It was the only time the whip was thrown, the other man’s hands waving frantically. 

He didn’t see what happened after that. 

“Daddy?” Laurent said, standing up in his crib. Adrian turned around, his arms wrapped around his chest. 

“Yes, dear?” he asked. 

The boy put up his hands, tears in his eyes. Adrian frowned and walked over to him. His daughter was asleep, but he still worried over the warmth he had felt on her face. He turned his attention to Laurent and picked him up. His forehead was still warm to the touch. Arian sighed. 

“Daddy…” Laurent mumbled again. 

“Do you hurt anywhere?” Adrian asked. Laurent nodded and rubbed his eyes. 

“Where?”

“Tummy…” 

Adrian frowned again. He walked over to his bed and sat, the baby still in his arms. He lifted his shirt to find nothing out of the ordinary. None of them had eaten much at lunch, though Adrian suspected that was far from the cause of his children’s troubles. He looked down to Laurent. 

“Are you hungry?” he asked. 

“No…” Laurent shook his head. 

“Thirsty?”

“No…”

“You need to eat and drink, honey. Tell me what you want and Daddy will get it for you.”

“Apple juice.”

Adrian nodded. He stood and placed Laurent back in the crib. His footsteps echoed as he grabbed a small basket and set it on the bed. He picked up his slumbering daughter, hoping not to wake her, and set her inside. He slung the basket on his forearm and grabbed his son again. He walked out of the room, his sword at his hip. With Trevor in a confrontation below him, Adrian was reluctant to leave his children alone for any reason. Not that he could stand it for more than thirty seconds on a normal occasion. 

He walked down the winding staircases, feeling Lisa Marie shift in the basket. He peered in to meet her lurid eyes staring back at him. He sighed. He loved his children and husband more than anything, but they were both a source of anxiety while simultaneously being the relief of it. His footsteps echoed the halls as he made his way to the kitchen. 

**~*~**

The grand doors to the castle opened. Hector sighed at the familiar entrance way. It had been years since he’d seen this place, yet the memories and experiences of it came forth as if it were yesterday. He could see Dracula standing at the top of the stairs, vampire generals squabbling below him. His voice bellowed at them to stop, but when Hector turned around, he realized it was simply the shutting of the doors. 

Trevor still had his whip in hand. He didn’t want to let this man in, but he couldn’t risk not acting if what he said was true. Hector seemed hellbent, almost _too_ hellbent to be a thief or opportunist. Trevor didn’t know what that meant yet, but he did know it left a wide gap between trust and caution. 

“Alright, back against that column,” Trevor ordered, gesturing to one of the many marble columns in the hall. 

Hector furrowed his brows. “What? Why?”

“Damn, and I thought I was a dumbass,” he huffed. “I don’t trust you. You might be right about what’s going on, but how the hell do I know where you stand? I won’t make up my mind until you show me what you’re talking about.”

“What does that have to do with…tying me to a column, I presume?”

“I’m not having you come anywhere near my kids. Neither of them are two yet, they don’t need to see Papa gut a man inside out when shit goes wrong.”

Hector grimaced at the mental image that came to him. He sighed and backed up to the column. He couldn’t see the use in fighting, not if he wanted help in his mission. At the moment, he’d have to play by the Belmont’s rules. “Go ahead.”

Trevor tied the leather whip around Hector’s torso, effectively pinning him to the column. Hector tried to shift, but there was no leeway. He winced at the tightness at his arms and chest, but didn’t protest. He was impressed at how well he was tied, but he would expect nothing less for a Belmont. Trevor turned and walked up the grand staircase. 

**~*~**

Adrian startled when he came face-to-face with Trevor as he turned a corner. He stumbled back and caught his breath, his children making their own noises of surprise. 

“Papa!” Laurent babbled, pointing to Trevor with a smile. Trevor smiled back and rubbed the boy’s shoulder. However, the softness of his face soon faded to a stern gaze. 

“Adrian, come on. We’re leaving,” he said. He was more commanding than he meant to be with his spouse, but he didn’t want to idle. He would feel better when they out of the castle, away from what might the epicenter of a curse, and far from the devil forgemaster. 

“What? Why?” Adrian asked, his grip on his children tightening. “What happened? Who was that man?”

“His name is Hector. He claims to have worked for Dracula as a devil forgemaster.”

“What?!” Adrian exclaimed. Trevor put up his hand as a signal urging Adrian to let him finish. 

“He says he gave it up. There was another forgemaster during the war named Issac. He claims he’s trying to resurrect Dracula. Not only that, but the land is cursed from all the hellions that roamed the land during that time. He came here looking for information on how to stop it. I told him I’d let him show me where he worked and what he’s talking about.”

Adrian was speechless. He shook his head, too many emotions swarming in his mind for him to articulate a response. He only tilted his neck and stared at Trevor with wide, incredulous eyes. Trevor took it as a cue to continue. 

“He says the castle is likely the epicenter of the curse, since this is where the hellions were forged. He’s really fucking weird, he gave up his weapons and willingly got tied to a column. He begged me to take the kids away from the castle. The curse is making people sick. If this is the epicenter, then we need them the hell out of here.”

“W-Where do I take them?” Adrian finally managed. His heart was thudding, his stomach thrashing as it geared up to throw panic his way. He was struggling to keep it subdued. 

“The vaults for now. Those chambers are warded to keep magic and influences like this out. They should be fine there. We’ll figure something else out if he’s reputable.”

Adrian sighed, his arms trembling. He pushed Laurent into Trevor’s arms, then handed him the basket. Trevor raised his brow at him. 

“Can’t you just teleport there right now?” he said, a bit impatient. Adrian shook his head. 

“No,” he said, “I need to get some things for the children first. Let me gather supplies for them and we’ll carry it all down there together.”

**~*~**

Hector hummed to himself as his body went slack against the column. He had tried to use his legs to prop himself up, but after a while, slumped his hips and shoulders. He hadn’t realized his body was fighting the tie until he did so. Now, he was a  _ little _ more relaxed. 

He understood why the Belmont was untrustworthy. It would take time, but Hector hoped to earn his trust. He honestly wasn’t out to hurt him or his family. He needed help to stop Issac. Hector leaned his head against the column and sighed. He wondered who Belmont’s spouse was. He also wondered what his first name was too, for he couldn’t recall being told what it was. The crest on his tunic was what gave his lineage away, not anything that he had said. The only reason Hector figured out he had a spouse and children was the wedding band on his finger and the baby carriage at the abandoned family picnic. 

Footsteps came down the staircase. Hector strained his neck and saw Trevor come through the doorway with a young boy and a basket in his arms. Another man followed, more baskets strewn over his forearms. The long black coat with gold trimming he was wearing looked familiar. 

Hector’s eyes widened. He had only ever seen Dracula’s son in paintings. One was of him as a young man, long golden hair, lurid eyes, and a white shirt coated by a black and gold jacket. Hector hadn’t meant to see it in the first place. It was stowed away in one of the archives he was poking through one day, along with a few other family heirlooms. He had only been able to figure out because it was labelled with his name. Hector tried to remember it, but couldn’t. He knew his alternate named was Alucard. 

But that wasn’t Trevor’s spouse….was it?

Adrian made his way down the staircase. He had a hard time focusing on anything in particular as he tried to fight off his anxiety. He couldn’t even focus enough to hold just one of his children, requesting that Trevor be the one to carry them. His life had been so docile and peaceful, he took for granted enjoying the solitude with his family. He knew his blood might catch up to him one day. He just didn’t know what it meant for him yet. 

He walked down the grand hall, but soon noticed a man tied to a column. Hector stared and him, their eyes meeting. Adrian gazed over his form, his stance stiffening a few paces away. 

“Are you...Hector?” Adrian asked. 

“Yes, I am,” Hector nodded. “I suppose Trevor told you about me.”

“Yes…”

“Are you Alucard?”

Adrian grew rigid at hearing the name. Truth be told, he hadn’t been called that in years. It brought back too many memories he wished to shove away. He sighed and nodded. “I am.”

“No one knew what happened to you after the war. Folks in the towns praise you, but the stories speak of your elusiveness. Some hope you’ll return to put an end to the curse ravaging the land.”

“I…” Adrian started, then paused. He turned to Trevor, who was standing behind him, and shook his head. “I don’t hold wariness of your story as much as Trevor does. Do not mistake me, I am wary of  _ you, _ but I know enough to know a curse is a very real possibility.”

Hector’s brows raised in surprise. “You do? You’re familiar with it, then?”

“I am with the concept. If you know the stories of me, then you know who I am. You know how my father was, and what kind of information he held in these walls. It’s still here.”

“Yes. I was hoping I could find a way to stop the curse. That’s why I’m here. Honestly, it was difficult looking for this place, not knowing where it was moved to. I didn’t expect to find anyone here…”

“There was a time I expected it would be abandoned….” Adrian mused vaguely. 

Hector stared at him. He looked to the children in Trevor’s arms. “Will you help me, Alucard? The people ask for your return and your aid. Some suspect you returned to sleep, and will awaken again. Some go out in search of sleeping soldier hoping to conjure you up.”

Adrian shook his head with a pensive gaze. “If what you say is true…” he sighed, “then no. I cannot return.”

“Why?” Hector asked, his voice near begging. “I can’t fight Issac alone. You and Belmont together would make the perfect team to accompany me.”

“My  _ trio _ days are over, forgemaster. I have two children that need me.”

“What? Aren’t those Belmont’s children?”

Adrian nodded. “Yes. They are mine as well. These past few years I haven’t been doing much sleeping.”

Hector gawked at them. His brain was trying to piece information together, but it was struggling. He shook his head, confused by the scene before him. He was sure he’d find an empty castle, but rather, found something far from it. 

“What? How?” he asked. 

“That’s a story you might find out one day if either my husband or I come to like your company. Until then, it’s neither here nor there,” Adrian sighed. He started walking again. Trevor followed. 

“Trevor will come back to do whatever it is he plans on doing with you. I have no plans on joining your cause, Hector,” Adrian continued. “My children are my main concern now. I will not leave them to fight more wars.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, welcome to my fanfic! :)
> 
> Like I said in the description, reading the previous two works in the series are not required to read this one. I might make subtle references to those stories every once in a while, but it will never be enough to confuse anyone. Though my works are connected through a timeline, I like to make it so readers can pick and choose what parts of series they wish to read. 
> 
> That being said, this story is inspired by the plot of the game Curse of Darkness. It takes a little detour from the ending of the show, mainly having Hector follow his game lore route of having a fiancee. I don't have plans of including Carmilla unless I see a good plot reason to include her. In this fic, I'm mixing both the show and games together to create a new story. :)
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos, I really appreciate it!


	3. The Forgemaster's Room

Hector lead Trevor to where he used to forge. During the trek, he felt as though a sword was at his back constantly, yet, when he turned around Trevor’s hands were empty. The stern gaze never left his features, even after he left with two children in hand and came back alone. Hector still didn’t understand the dynamic that was going on in the castle, what lead to a Belmont and Dracula’s son to be in a marriage with one another. Not to mention the _ children. _ That perplexed him most of all. He secretly hoped he would learn the answer one day, if just to sate his own curiosity. 

They arrived at his old work space far in the lower depths. Hector gestured to it and Trevor pushed open the door. Trevor knew every room in the castle, just not what they were once used for. He patrolled the entire grounds at least once a week to make everything appeared as it should. Sometimes the castle seemed a lonely place while he did his rounds, but when he returned to his husband and children in the upper level he soon forgot the desolate wings they never used. 

Hector walked into the room, memories of old times coming back to him. Day in and day out he used to forge creatures and set them loose into the world to cause hell. Now, it was a lonely, dusty space. One of his hammers was on the table, exactly where he left it. He bit his lip and walked up to it. His fingers brushed along the metal, and soon enough, he found it was in his hands, memories overtaking his thoughts. Feeling the cool sting of the handle brought back more than he wished to remember. The unsheathing of a sword sounded from behind him. Hector startled out of his thoughts and turned around, the hammer still in hand. 

“Put it down,” Trevor commanded, his sword at the ready. Hector stiffened and followed his order. 

“I apologize,” he said, “that was my hammer, you see. It just brought back a lot of memories.”

“That’s what you used to make the night hoard?”

“Yes. Along with a few other tools, but the hammer was the bread and butter.” Hector ran his hand along the table’s smooth surface. “I admit, I’m surprised this place is the same as I left it.”

“There are too many rooms in this place to go a decorating spree,” Trevor said. “We picked a wing to settle in, then Adrian and I repaired what needed it. Well, when he wasn’t taking care of our kids.”

Hector’s interested piqued at the mention of Trevor’s family. He shook the thought away. “Can this place move as it once could?”

“Yes. We fixed those mechanics. Adrian did most of it. My focus has been on repairing the Belmont hold.” Trevor paused and sheathed his sword. “This place isn’t moving. It needs to stay with the Belmont vaults. We can’t watch over two places at once. It’s only Adrian and I here.”

“I agree. It’s quite elusive, where it landed,” Hector nodded. “I think you  _ should _ keep it here. It makes it harder to find.”

“Are there people out there looking for this place?”

“Of course. They have been for years.”

Trevor stiffened. The thought of people hunting for his home put a strange taste in his mouth. “How did you find it?”

“I’ve known of the Belmonts for a while now. Dracula sometimes spoke of them. I’ve crossed all the areas of Wallachia, and even some parts of Transylvania, looking for this place. Then, I realized, perhaps there was something within the Belmont hold that allowed you and your comrades to move it here. It was a last ditch effort.”

“How did you make hellions? What would curse them?”

“I opened portals at this table. Portals that allowed demons through to possess the bodies I forged. I did the work of reanimation and creation alike. Anything coming through that portal is ill news. Yet, I worked with it every day.”

“Has that made you ill?”

“No. That’s part of being a forgemaster, you’re immune to those things while forging. You  _ are _ a hellion in a sense when you forge demons. When you give them life, why would they curse you? Now, however, is a different story. I renounced forging. Now I must protect myself from curses with wards.”

“Why haven’t we noticed it if it’s around?” Trevor asked. He had already asked this question, yet he felt he must ask again. He still didn’t understand how such a thing could slip under their noses unnoticed. 

“A curse sometimes doesn’t manifest itself right away,” Hector explained. “It may take months or years. This problem has only started cropping up in the last few months or so. Alucard being a dhampir, and you, a powerful Belmont, are likely more immune to curses. That’s likely why you didn’t notice it in its early stages.”

Trevor sighed. He crossed his arms at his chest. “My children have Adrian and I’s blood. It would take them longer to respond than a regular child.”

Hector wanted to ask  _ how _ once again, but refrained. “That likely explains it.”

“They haven’t been feeling well lately….” Trevor mused aloud. He shook the thought away. “What are you trying to accomplish?”

“I need to stop Issac from resurrecting Dracula. I also want to exercise vengeance on him for killing my fiancee.”

“Will that get the curse to stop?”

“It will help diminish it undoubtedly, even if it doesn’t destroy it all the way.”

“We don’t need Dracula hanging around here again, that’s for damn sure.”

“Well, will you help me, Belmont?” Hector asked. “I can’t fight this battle alone.”

Trevor sighed again. The thought of Dracula returning made his blood boil. It would destroy Adrian’s mental health, not to mention threaten everyone, his family included. He didn’t want to leave his children, but this was the sort of thing Belmonts did. Trevor had already done it before. It was his purpose, to rise when the land needed him. Yet, he was alone before with the wind at his back. Now was different. There was a good chance he would make Adrian sob tonight, and he hated himself for it. However, at the same time, he knew it needed to be done. 

“I believe you,” Trevor finally said, “but that doesn’t mean I trust you fully...yet.”

Hector nodded. “I understand.”

“There’s no way you would have known about this room and what was here unless you spent time in the castle. How do I know you won’t go on a killing spree like Dracula did when his wife died?”

“I...I found the beauty of humans in Rosaly…” Hector frowned, swallowing the lump in his throat. “She brought me back from the brink of death...I...nearly killed myself, Belmont. She stopped me.”

Trevor clenched his fists. It sounded as if Hector was recalling the relationship Trevor and Adrian had a few years back. Adrian was at the brink, Trevor brought him back. It was silent for a moment, the words sinking into the air. 

“I...I don’t  _ want _ to fight anymore,” Hector continued, “I wish I didn’t have to. Issac put a proverbial knife at my throat and wants to see me snarl. I will, just not in the way he wants.”

“What do you need from me?” Trevor asked. 

“I need you to be a Belmont.”

“Fair enough.”

“It would be a great help to have Alucard, but I know he won’t budge, so I won’t bother with that.”

“Yeah. He really won’t, not with the kids around. He’s not going to like it when I join you, but he knows it’s the right thing to do.”

Hector’s eyes widened. “You--You’ll join me?”

“Don’t get all puppy-eyed on me,” Trevor chided. “I’m doing this to protect my kids and my husband. Everyone else too, but really for them. Adrian doesn’t need to fight his father again if it comes to that. It’ll tear him apart.”

“I’m thankful I’ve got you on my side.”

“Don’t need the sap either. We have mutual interests. That’s  _ it.” _

“It’s good enough for me.” 

Trevor shrugged. “Fine. Let me take you into the vaults. There’s more information there, my family's bestiary will likely help us. I’m sure Adrian will have something to add too. He always does.”

**~*~**

Adrian sighed as he held his daughter. His son dozed beside him on the sofa they sat on, which was on the bottom floor of the Belmont vaults. It was quiet, which only made Adrian’s thoughts louder. His gaze drifted over to the crib and bassinet a few paces away. Him and Trevor had put extra furniture for the children in the vaults, for they spent much time repairing and organizing the archives. Just beyond, on the far wall, hung a few portraits. One was of him and Trevor on their wedding day. Trevor was behind him, his hands on Adrian’s hips, Adrian’s hand on top of his. He noticed the band on his painted self, then followed his eyes to gaze at the same band on his hand. They had been married for over two years now, going on three. So much had happened in that time. Adrian had a hard time fathoming it sometimes. It became real to him again when his daughter smiled at him or his son babbled his name. 

Lisa Marie shifted in his arms. He leaned down and kissed her forehead as she stared up at him with a drowsy gaze. His eyes returned to the far wall, and to another portrait beside the one of him and Trevor. This one was a family portrait, one they had made the previous month. Adrian and Trevor stood side by side. Adrian held their son in his arms, Laurent’s hand a fist around his hair. Trevor held their daughter in one arm, the other snaked around to hold Adrian’s shoulder. It sent hurt into part of him when they hung it, the poses familiar to him from a time long ago. Trevor convinced him to love it, but it still sent Adrian into a pensive spell of thought. 

He closed his eyes and dozed, egged on by the tired slumps of his children. Laurent climbed on his lap and snuggled into his chest. Together the three of them fell asleep. 

**~*~**

Trevor lead Hector down the grand descent into the vaults. He stopped at the doors leading into the archives. Trevor signaled Hector halt. 

“Stay here a moment,” Trevor said. “Let me talk to Adrian alone.”

“Of course,” Hector nodded. 

Trevor nodded back and opened the doors, walking inside. Hector waited at the entrance, looking through the cracks in the doors when they didn’t close all the way. He was enthralled at the expanse he saw. It rivaled Dracula’s archives in its own way. His mouth watered and his mind ached to go on a leisurely stroll through floor after floor in order to see what sort of information it held. When he heard Trevor saying Alucard’s birth name, he was tempted to shut the doors to give them privacy. However, he couldn’t be sure how much noise the hefty iron would make, and he didn’t want Trevor’s sword at his throat. He stayed still as a board, his hands firmly at his side. The Belmont had agreed to help him, he couldn’t soil it but touching things that he shouldn’t. Yet, his ears couldn’t help but pick up on the conversation below him. 

“Adrian?” Trevor asked. 

“Yes? Where’s Hector?” Adrian responded, his voice a bit groggy. 

“I left him at the doors to the vault. I wanted to speak with you alone.”

“Oh?”

“I need to help him stop Dracula’s resurrection.”

“So he  _ is _ reputable.”

“I think so.”

“Then I trust your discernment.”

There was silence for a moment. Hector shifted his feet, gazing at the shelves below him. He felt extremely uncomfortable at overhearing an exchange between a married couple, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. The conversation continued. 

“What do you plan to do in terms of help?” Adrian questioned, an edge to his tone Hector couldn’t put his finger on. 

“I need to go with him,” Trevor said, “We’ll find Issac and kill him.”

“W-What?”

“We’ll figure out when we’ll leave. Keep the kids in the vaults and watch the castle to make sure no one comes here.”

“L-Leave?” Adrian said, his voice weak. “You...You plan to leave me with our children?”

“Yes. We don’t need Dracula being resurrected. It’s to protect you and the kids. I’m a Belmont, and this is what Belmonts do.”

“Th--This is my fault…” Adrian stammered. “I didn’t  _ really _ kill him when I killed him.”

“Adrian--”

Hector’s brows raised. A piece of the puzzle clicked into place. He had long wondered who _exactly_ killed Dracula. From the stories that circled, it was a Belmont, Alucard, and a magician speaker named Belnades. Yet, he always had his questions, for stories always held out parts of the truth. Now, realizing Alucard was the one to do the final deed put a strange ache in his heart. 

“Trevor, Trevor,  _ please,” _ Adrian begged, his breath hitching. “Don’t do it. Don’t go. S-Stay with me and the children.”

“I can’t, baby. You know we can’t allow this to happen.”

Hector cringed when he heard Adrian sob. He never thought the famed and legendary _Alucard_ could break down into piercing breaths and heavy tears. He clenched his fists, his heart racing at what he was hearing. 

“Adrian, it’s going to be fine,” Trevor said, his voice trying to be convincing. “Sweetheart, you’re crying on the kids…”

“Don’t get killed just to leave me with our children. I don’t want to be alone in this, Trevor.”

“I’m not. I promise.”

“You can’t promise things like that, you _ fucking _ asshole,” Adrian yelled back.

_ “Christ…” _ Trevor sighed. 

More cries rang out, the shrill sound of an infant followed by the sobs of a toddler. Hector winced again. 

“Fuck, now the whole family is crying…” Trevor said, his voice weak. 

Hector couldn’t stand it. He had this strange _urge_ to see what was going on below him. The feeling bubbled in his torso, a pinching ache to make sure nothing was down there that could hurt them. He knew  _ logically  _ it was what Trevor said that caused the ruckus, but the war had been brutal on him. His scars showed themselves when he heard screams and cries, and it triggered a protective response in him. 

He snuck through the crack in the door and to the edge of the balcony. He crouched on his knees, peering through the wooden bars and into the depths below. He spotted Trevor on a sofa on the bottom floor, his arms wrapped desperately around Adrian, who held their two children as they wailed. Trevor tried to console Adrian’s upset and the children simultaneously, but the attempts were futile. 

Hector wished he had never crept in for a look. He had seen something he would never forget. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hector is so confused about Trevor and Adrian's relationship. lol 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments & kudos! I appreciate it! :)


	4. Bandage the Damage

Adrian was still as he watched his children sleep. His fist was on his cheek, his eyes shifting from his daughter in the bassinet to his son in the crib. Laurent would grow out the crib soon, and with that, Adrian knew he would experience a flurry of emotions. That was a battle he would face another day. 

Yet, there was a battle he had to face today. 

Trevor was adamant on leaving. Once Adrian calmed from one of the worst panic spells he had had in years, his clarity returned to him. It was the right thing to do, it was the _safest_ thing for their children. It would be catastrophic for Dracula to return to the land. Not only that, but would rip Adrian apart. He was already struggling enough with the mere concept. 

Despite knowing what must be done, Adrian didn’t want his husband to leave. It sent anxiety piercing through his core. Without his anchor to ground him, he grew nervous at what he would do to himself when alone. The last time Trevor left him, he had nearly gone somewhere he couldn’t return from. He had to remind himself this time was different. They had children, two beautiful babies who took care of Adrian just as much as he took care of them. Being a father had given him so much  _ purpose _ , they kept him going when the times turned rough. His children didn’t understand it, but it didn’t matter. 

None of that could make this any easier.

Trevor and Hector searched through hardbacks on an upper floor for information on how to fight the curse. Adrian was too drained to be of any assistance, and Trevor insisted he stay below and take a rest. Trevor knew it would be harsh on Adrian to see him leave, and he didn’t want to pour more salt on the open wound. Hector stood beside him and flipped through a book. He had to act as though he hadn’t heard what went on, but it was drilled into his skull. The sight of  _ Alucard _ so vulnerable was rooted deep into his mind and wouldn’t leave him be. It bothered him. His heart ached for the children. There was a time he wouldn’t have cared, put his late fiance had put an empathy streak straight through him. 

“Belmont?” he finally said, his voice low. Trevor raised a brow at him as he shelved a book. 

“What?” he asked with a grunt. 

“Are….” he paused, nervous to push the limits by asking what he wanted. His empathy and curiosity took over. “Are you sure your family will be alright with you gone?”

Trevor blinked, caught off guard by the question. He didn’t fully trust Hector yet, and he couldn’t discern why he would ask such a thing. Did he really care after all? Was he _genuine?_

“They’ll be fine. Adrian is a good father, I trust him to take care of them while I’m gone.”

“I see…”

“Why do you ask?”

Hector stiffened. “Your children are awfully small…”

“Yeah,” Trevor shrugged. He pulled another book from the shelf. “They’re both babies.”

“How old did you say they were again?”

“My daughter is six months old and my son is exactly a year older than her. They were born on the same day a year apart.” Trevor raised a brow at him, his face stern. “Look, I know you’re curious, but I’m not an open fucking book. So find one that isn’t me and try to read  _ that.” _

Hector flushed and turned his head away. He wanted him and Trevor to be on friendly terms. If he were being honest, it was in part to make their journey together easier, but it was also for his own selfish reasons. Losing his fiance, Rosaly, had left a void in his heart. He knew a simple friendship couldn’t cover that gap completely, but it would help ease the ache. If he and Trevor had to fight together, he wished for them to be open with each other enough to make it pleasant. 

After a little while longer of browsing and searching, Hector came across the information they needed. He shut the book, but stalled a moment before trying to speak to Trevor again. The Belmont did intimidate him, but it was the sort of intimidation of awe. Part of him wished he had a family lineage to be proud of. He had nothing of the sort. 

“I found the information we need,” Hector finally announced. Trevor turned to him and nodded. 

“Good. What did you find?” he asked. 

“The curse will stop when the efforts to resurrect Dracula are stopped. The act of trying to resurrect such a powerful being is stirring the remains of lesser hellions that were once under his command. However, we do need holy weapons. Do you possess weapons of that sort? Holy water is always a help, but if he can’t get that, any holy weapon will do.”

“Yes. I have the Morning Star.”

“Perfect. The killing blow to Issac needs to be done with your weapon. In order to stop the curse and prevent the resurrection, the one attempting the resurrection needs to be killed with a holy weapon.”

“Makes sense. Do you know where the fucker is?”

Hector sighed. “The exact location? No. The general area of Wallachia? Yes.”

“Damn. At least it’s a start.”

“The curse has two areas where it's emanating the strongest. Dracula’s castle is currently the strongest area, for it’s the physical place that holds most of his past energy. When forgemastering, you’re drawing on energies, either dead or living, to help build your being. There are still lingering energies of Dracula’s presence in his castle, which is quite powerful, given he lived there for centuries. However, the point where he is trying to be resurrected is also a strong source of the curse, though just not as strong as here.”

“Does it taper off the further you get from here?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. It should simmer down, then pick up again as we draw closer to Issac.”

Trevor exhaled. He crossed his arms. “Alright. We’ll start there. Let me spend the night packing supplies and setting up the wagon. Tomorrow we leave at noon.”

**~*~**

Adrian was quiet as he watched Trevor play with their son. The wagon was packed and ready for the next day. Adrian helped Trevor put together supplies, but he wouldn’t go to the surface to help pack the wagon. His heart was broken enough, he couldn’t stomp on the shattered pieces. 

Laurent gave Trevor an affectionate hug. Trevor snuggled him and Adrian had to bite back his tears. He was frustrated beyond belief. He wanted to be happy with his husband and children. Was that too much to ask? Apparently for a member of the Ţepeş family, it was. No one in his family had lived a happily ever after. 

“Do you plan to take the kids outside every once in a while?” Trevor asked, letting Laurent sit on his lap as he played with a plush bear. 

“They don’t need to,” Adrian said blankly, “they have vampiric blood, while their human side might find it enjoyable, they are by no means obligated.”

Trevor sighed. He stared up at his husband on the sofa. “You have a face for a smile, you know.”

“I don’t have anything to smile about,” Adrian scoffed. 

“You have two beautiful children.”

“With a husband who is leaving me alone with them,” he retorted, his tone dripping with venom. He didn’t know where Trevor was going with this conversation, but he rathered it end. 

Trevor frowned. “I’m keeping you and them safe.”

“I know. It doesn’t make it any easier.”

“I’m sorry, baby.”

Adrian huffed. He shook his head. “It’s fine.” 

“Of course it’s not.”

“What is there to do about it?”

Trevor shrugged. “You need to start taking your medicine again.”

Adrian’s eyes widened. Before they married, they had worked together to develop a powder to help combat Adrian's anxiousness. He had taken it for a long while, but had weaned himself off of it over time. He had wanted to record what happened when he spent time off it and then started it again, all to add to his meticulous notations and research. The problem was, he had never started it again to finish his experiment. Trevor had warned him of this, but he hadn’t listened. Now he was reaping the result of his choices. 

“You’re absolutely right,” Adrian admitted. “I can’t be bogged down when my children need me.”

“Yes, but it would make you feel better as well, don’t forget that,” Trevor added. He readjusted the baby on his lap. 

Adrian let go a shaky sigh. He clenched his fist, then relaxed. Something was aching at the edge of his tongue, yet he knew Trevor wouldn’t approve once he said it. After an unexpected falter in his breath and a spike of his heart, the words tumbled from his mouth. 

“This is my fault. I didn’t _really_ kill him when I staked him,” he mumbled. 

Trevor shook his head. “Adrian, we’ve been through this before--”

“Don’t  _ fucking _ pull that, Trevor!” he exclaimed. “Nothing you can say or do will convince me. I will go through it a thousand fucking times and a thousand more after that. I will always ask myself if there was anything I could’ve done different.”

“And I’ve told you it wasn’t your fault,” Trevor argued back with a gentle, patient voice. “How the fuck could think some shit like that is your fault?”

“I don’t claim it makes sense. I just know it tears me up the middle and eats my heart out all the damn time,” Adrian said bitterly. “You know I get like this. You can bandage the damage, Trevor, but you can’t rebuild my heart. It’s broken. You will just have to keep piecing it back together every time it crumbles.”

Trevor held his mouth shut. It pained him when Adrian spoke like this. It wasn’t the first time, and he was sure it wasn’t going to be the last. Adrian articulated his suffering so eloquently it sent chills up Trevor’s spine. He didn’t understand how he did it, or how much thought was required to express things in such a way, but it _hurt._ Things were better for Adrian now than they were three or four years ago, even with the curse around. He had a husband, children, he wasn’t in pain. Yet, Adrian still  _ hurt. _ For the first time, Trevor realized Adrian might be right. There really wasn’t much Trevor could do to reverse the damage done from his traumas. 

Trevor stood and set his dozing son in his crib. He sat on the sofa next to Adrian and wrapped his arm around him. Adrian leaned on his shoulder. It was quiet for a moment. Trevor sighed as he brushed through Adrian’s hair. 

“You’ve got balls, Adrian,” he finally said. Adrian raised a disapproving brow at him. 

“Of course I do. What the hell of it?” he scoffed, his voice defensive. 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Trevor sighed again. “You’re strong as hell. After everything you’ve been through, this is nothing. I’m going to leave for a while, I’m going to come back. This is easy compared to the other things you’ve done.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s not  _ difficult.” _

“Of course not. What I’m trying to tell you is that this is manageable.”

“I suppose. I just...fear the worst sometimes…”

“I know you do. But that doesn’t mean it’s healthy to obsess over shit you know is  _ not _ true.”

“Yes...it’s so hard to fend those thoughts off. To tell myself I’m well…”

“I know. Be patient with yourself. Please?”

“Anything for you, Trevor.”

The couple leaned in for a kiss. Trevor held Adrian at his chest and let them enjoy the quiet. It was loud enough in Adrian’s mind, they both knew. At some point neither of them could discern, they fell asleep together on the sofa. 

**~*~**

Hector was surprised he wasn’t locked in some musty old room. He was given a bedroll by Trevor and told he could pick any spot to place it on the third floor. He set it at the end of the bookshelves, right beside the balcony looking into the depths below. He couldn’t see Trevor and Adrian at the bottom, and he honestly didn’t want to. He only wanted a spot that was  _ open _ , and the place he chose had a great view of the vast ceiling above him. Sleeping between two dusty bookshelves would only serve to make him claustrophobic. Not to mention stuffy. 

He _thought_ he had heard the end of the couple’s exchanges, but that wasn't the case. Either the walls carried voices more than they thought or Hector had  _ really _ good hearing. He couldn’t be sure which it was.

Once the conversation faded, Hector swallowed the lump in his throat. Adrian had articulated so much hurt and suffering it caused a physical reaction out of him. Hector’s chest was tight, his eyes misty with angst. He bit his quivering lip and stared at the ceiling, he body tucked under the bedroll. 

_ You can bandage the damage, Trevor, but you can’t rebuild my heart. It’s broken. You will just have to keep piecing it back together every time it crumbles. _

Those words echoed in his mind. Adrian had described what Hector felt perfectly. It was eerie, and sent hurt into his lungs. Hector had been through his fair share of suffering and troublesome times. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever find solace. Even with Rosaly, he never truly found it. He was happy and healthy with her, but his mind still tormented him, even then. His heart was torn apart. Rosaly had pieced it back together, but it wasn’t a permanent fix. Now it was broken again and there was no one to bandage it. 

He had never admitted it to anyone, not even Rosaly, that Vlad Ţepeş was the first person to piece his heart back together. Vlad had come to him as a _friend._ They had gotten to know each other as friends. That relationship was enough to bandage the damage from his childhood. 

When his doubts crept up on him, and his heart started crumbling again, Dracula gave him purpose. Hector had a reason to keep going, egged on by a greater cause, though it was nefarious. 

Hector still mourned the man that was Vlad. He always discerned him and Dracula as two different beings. They both had their influences on his life; the mending of his heart and the breaking of it. 

He got the feeling Adrian felt the same. 

As Hector fell asleep, he hoped one day he would be able to admit it to someone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter with angst...!
> 
> I really want to give Hector some of the angst action. I'm trying to flesh out his character even though he isn't the main couple in the story. Adrian's angst is now a mix of canon (fighting his father) and things from the previous works in the series (anxiety headcanon, his children). It's kinda crazy, I never thought I'd build up a fanfic world with this many layers. It's actually really fun! :)
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos!


	5. On the Road

Adrian stood next to the packed carriage, his daughter in his arm and his son holding his hand beside him. Hector was already sitting on the bench, the carriage’s position making it so he was out of sight. Trevor stood in front of his family. He wore his traditional Belmont outfit, his white tunic with the gold embroidery, the red fabric at his belt, morning star and a short sword on his hip. Covering most of it was a black cloak with white fur trim around the edges, the Belmont symbol on the back in gold. It wasn’t yet cold, but a cool autumn breeze was starting up, and the nights were turning colder. 

Trevor crouched on his knee. He looked a curious Laurent in the eye. “Papa’s got to leave for a little while,” he said. “Will you be good for Daddy?”

Laurent stared at him. His face turned concentrated as if he were trying to figure out how to say something. “Papa...go...bye?” he finally said with an inquisitive tone. 

“Yeah, Papa’s going bye-bye,” he sighed. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Oh.”

Trevor wrapped him in an embrace and pressed a kiss to his temple. “I love you, kiddo.”

Laurent stared at him when they pulled away. He opened his mouth as he tried to say something. He grew frustrated when he couldn’t figure out how to say it, then pouted. Trevor ruffled his hair. 

“Don’t get upset,” he said with a warm smile, “I know you love me too.”

His son nodded, his face a little softer. Trevor stood and turned his attention to his daughter. He took her from Adrian’s arms and snuggled her to his chest. The baby smiled and giggled. Trevor kissed her on the head. 

“You be good too, little Lisa Marie,” he cooed. “Papa loves you.”

Trevor passed the child back to Adrian. Adrian swallowed a lump in his throat. Trevor cupped his jaw with both hands and forced them to make eye-contact. Adrian bit his quivering lip. 

“You’ll be fine, Adrian,” Trevor said. “I’m going to come back. Don’t let your anxiousness overtake you again.”

“I--I know…” Adrian mumbled. A few tears slipped down his cheek. “D-Don’t let him come back.  _ Please,  _ Trevor.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m going to miss you…”

“I know. I’ll miss you too. But you won’t be lonely, you know.” Trevor smiled. He wiped the tears away. “Take care of our babies, it’ll keep your mind off things.”

“I will.”

Trevor leaned in for a kiss. They shared a few gentle exchanges of affection before Trevor stepped away. He walked to the front of the carriage. Adrian picked up their son and followed him. Trevor boarded the carriage and sat next to a patiently waiting Hector. He took the reigns in his hands. Adrian peered up at them. 

“Don’t get too sulky, kids,” Trevor chided playfully, “ and don’t give your daddy a hard time.”

Adrian nodded. “And don’t get shit-faced, Trevor,” he chuckled. 

“S--Shit?” Laurent babbled with a questioning tone. Adrian stiffened as Trevor let out a hearty laugh. 

“That’s my kid,” Trevor said with another chuckle. 

“Honey, don’t say that,” Adrian corrected him. He sighed and looked to his husband. “Stay safe.”

“I’ll try.”

Trevor got the horses moving, their gentle clopping the only sound as they headed down the path. Adrian watched from the entrance to their hold as Trevor put out his hand as a final goodbye. There was an intense feeling of deja-vu that washed over Adrian at seeing him ride away. He swallowed an intense outburst brimming in his chest and turned, making his way home with his children in tow. 

**~*~**

The road was quiet for a while as the horses galloped along. Hector wasn’t sure what to say, or if Trevor was interested in speaking with him at all. His eyes fixated on the treeline passing by them as Trevor controlled the reigns. After a while, Trevor grew antsy at the quiet. It was going to be a long journey, and it would feel even longer with extended silence. He grunted and shifted on the bench. 

“This trip is going to be boring as hell with it so quiet,” he said. “Let’s find something to talk about.”

Hector turned to him. He lifted his brows in surprise. “I didn’t know if you were interested in speaking with me. I know you don’t fully trust me…”

“Well, I’m warming up to it. You look like a damn puppy and puppies don’t hurt,” Trevor chuckled. 

“Of course. Not the first time I’ve been told that.”

“Really?”

“No. Some in Dracula’s court said the same.”

Trevor looked over in interested. “Oh? Must’ve been a bitch being around a bunch of bickering vampires.”

“It was,” Hector said with a sigh. He crossed his arms loosely at his chest. “I just wanted to do my work. Yet, there was so much politics in the halls of the castle. Issac and I being human caused contention. The vampires didn’t understand why Dracula’s closest generals were two human forgemasters.”

“Huh. To be honest, I don’t really understand that either.”

“If I said I had insight into Dracula’s true intentions, it would be a lie. But, there was a time when him and I were friends. Well, Vlad and I.”

“Adrian thinks that way too,” Trevor said with a shrug. “He sees Dracula and Vlad as two different people. It helps him sort through the bullshit.”

“It does for me too,” Hector sighed. He leaned back against the bench and stretched out. “Your children….they are blood related to Dracula?”

“Yeah,” he grunted. “It sounds crazy for a Belmont to have kids that have Dracula for a grandfather, I know.”

“It’s a surprise, to be honest,” Hector paused. “They have Belmont blood as well?”

“Sure do.”

“I see.”

Trevor chuckled. “I know you’re wondering what the hell has been going on in that castle back there.”

“Well, since you’ve said it, I won’t lie. I have.”

“I’ll tell you so your head stops exploding over it. I know you’re about to piss yourself to ask.”

“If you’re in the mood to share…”

Trevor shrugged and adjusted the reigns again. “Sure, why the hell not?” he said. “It was done through magic, science, and Adrian’s shape-shifting abilities.”

Hector’s jaw went slack. He shook his head, trying to piece together what exactly that meant. “I-I see…”

“Adrian gave birth to both of our children. Once we were done having kids, he shape-shifted back to his normal self. I’ll let you figure that one out,” he chuckled. “He’s a crazy bastard, and I love him for it.”

There was silence for a moment. Hector worked through things in his head. He was perplexed at the whole family dynamic. Not only were the son of Dracula and a Belmont married, but they went out of their way to have children that shared their blood. It was an intriguing notion to him. 

“May I ask why?” he finally said. 

Trevor glanced over at him. “Why what?”

“Why did you have children that share both bloodlines?”

“I’m was last Belmont. I knew that when I married Adrian. I also knew that we weren’t likely to have children together. Yet, Adrian found out that I wanted kids in our marriage, and I found out he wanted them as well. But, me, being a stubborn asshole, wanted kids with that shared blood my spouse. So Adrian figured out a way to do that. 

It’s not Adrian’s fault, his blood. It is what it is. Honestly, sharing blood with a maniac doesn’t mean you are one too. I’ve never wanted Adrian to feel like he has to hold back living his own life because of what his lineage is. So, when we both wanted kids, we had them.”

“Makes sense enough.”

“Yeah. It’s just a bitch, seeing that castle succumb to this bullshit. We’ve spent so much time building it up. It’s  _ our _ home. Adrian and I have lived there together for years. It’s where our children were born. It pisses me off to be kicked out of it by some asshole trying to resurrect a dead vampire I helped kill.”

“Once we take care of this, you should be able to return.”

“Hope so.”

Hector sighed. Speaking with Trevor was more fulfilling than he thought. The Belmont was such an intriguing figure, he couldn’t help but keep posing more and more questions. 

“Is Alucard alright?” he finally asked, albeit in a nervous tone. “He seems a bit blue…”

“He’s fine,” Trevor said. “It’s just difficult for him seeing me leave. The fact that Dracula was his father is something that fogs up his conscious too. He’s always had a sulky streak, but after our son was born, he got ten times more emotional. Then came our daughter. Now he’s over the top and I just support him.”

“You have quite the interesting family, Belmont.”

“Yeah, no kidding. There’s never a dull moment in my household,” he chuckled. “Now tell me where were headed first.”


	6. Nightfall

Adrian was surprised when his children didn’t throw tantrums or sob uncontrollably when they saw Trevor ride away. If he were being honest, he was surprised he didn’t act in that way either. Perhaps he  _ did  _ have a selfish streak, but part of him rathered someone else go take care of the troubles of the world. There  _ had _ to be someone else that could rise to the occasion. Adrian knew this wasn’t so. As usual, it was a Belmont that would take care of things. If Adrian didn’t have children to look after, he would be in on the cause as well. He was conflicted; one side of himself told him it was his fight, and he was letting others fight it. The other was thankful he had children to keep him stationary. 

He preoccupied himself with these thoughts until his son tugged at his arm. Adrian turned to him and smiled, running fingers through his brown tufts of hair. 

“Yes, honey?” he asked. 

“Papa?” Laurent asked, his eyes wide. A toy bear Trevor had given him was held by the arm in one of his fists. Adrian frowned. 

“He’s gone to take care of some things,” he said. “He’ll be back soon.”

“Papa...bye?”

“Yes, for now. He said bye-bye to you, remember?”

Laurent sniffled. He wiped at his eyes and Adrian picked him up, settling him into his lap. Adrian couldn’t blame his son for not understanding what Trevor meant when he said he was leaving. His children had settled into a routine, and so had they as a couple. When either of the parents said  _ bye-bye _ it usually only meant a few hours. Laurent expecting a bye to only last that long, then coming to expect what he knew, was something Adrian couldn’t fault him for. He couldn’t yet form full sentences, but he understood his routine. Any deviance of that was sure to make him upset. 

Adrian rocked him as he whimpered. He glanced to his daughter in the bassinet. Her eyes opened, dismay clear on her small features. Adrian frowned and glanced to the clock. Both of his children reacted to realizing Trevor’s absence within the same time frame. The true heart of the situation finally settled in Adrian’s bones. It wasn’t kissing him goodbye or watching him ride away, it was precisely this moment. The moment when his absence was felt as a hole in their dynamic. 

Trevor followed the same fatherly routine every night. He read his children a story and fed them, giving Adrian a chance to clean and tidy up the nursery or wash clothing. Not only had Adrian snatched the children from where they were familiar, one of their parents was missing as well. Adrian sighed and shifted Laurent to the couch, his whimpers continuing. He stood and took Lisa Marie from the bassinet as she began to sniffle. He sat down again, and before he could settle, his son’s face was in his chest. 

He checked them both for fevers. Neither of them had one. Adrian sighed again, trying to accept his home was cursed. It was an odd thought, a place he and his husband had worked so ardently to make a warm home for their family was now dangerous for them. Adrian could still venture back on forth without issue, but he hardly did. Him and Trevor had moved everything their children needed to the vaults, leaving the nursery four empty walls and the pantry dusty and empty. 

The children continued to whimper in his arms. Adrian bit his quivering lip. This journey would be a long, harsh road with no relent. 

**~*~**

Trevor and Hector made it to a small town before nightfall. They found an inn and bought the last room with two separate beds. Trevor was thankful, for if it were only one bed  _ someone _ was sleeping on the floor. He refused to sleep in the same bed with someone not his spouse, important mission or not. 

The room was quiet save for the rustling of clothing. Trevor took off his cloak and hung it on a coat rack. He had to admit, he forgot how boring riding along the roads of Wallachia could be. The conversations they had helped pass time, but there were still long bouts of silence. There always were during trips like these. It was the part Trevor hated the most. 

“We should reach the far part of Wallachia by Friday if we keep on a steady track,” Hector said, breaking the silence. “Then we should be able to track the curse more effectively.”

“Are you sure you know what we’re looking for? Because I sure as hell don’t,” Trevor said. “It would help to know what this fucker looks like.”

Hector sighed. “He’ll likely be wearing forgemaster armor, just like mine. His eyes are cold and calculated, his skin is dark and he has no hair. From what I recall, he’s from the desert.”

“Alright. That’s enough to go off of, I suppose.” 

“I’ll know him when I see him, don’t worry over it.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Trevor paused. “Why do you still have your forgemaster armor if you gave it up?”

Hector shrugged. “I kept it in case I ever needed armor again. It’s the only set I have. The village I lived in with my fiancee was sometimes attacked by outsiders.”

“Outsiders?” 

“Yes. Pillagers and conquerors alike. I never got rid of my fighting supplies, though I really wanted to. I planned to sell them when the night before I went to, pillagers raided the village. The next day, those wishing to take over our lands showed up.”

Trevor raised a brow at him. “I’m thinking the  _ in case I ever need it again _ was a yes?”

“Yes.” Hector frowned and brushed through his hair with a comb. “I fought them off. But I never forged to help me. I used my own willpower, as weak as it is.”

“All that fighting must’ve made you stronger.”

“Perhaps.”

Trevor kicked his feet up and leaned back against the headboard of his bed. Hector carefully climbed under the blankets and sat rigid against the pillows. It was silent a moment as rain hit the window panes. 

“Did you try to leave?” Trevor finally said. 

Hector’s gaze fell to the sheets. He picked at the seams of the top blanket before answering. “Yes. We tried to take the road to a bigger city. Bishops stopped us not a half a day’s ride from the village. They said they were looking for Rosaly. They took her as I tried to fight back, but there were too many to fight off. Swords, knives, and shields are peculiar things for priests to be wearing.”

“No shit,” Trevor grunted. “I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with those bastards, trust me.”

“They burned her," Hector mumbled, bringing his knees to his chest. “Sometimes….ah, Trevor forgive me, but I should be honest….” He paused and sighed. “Sometimes I understand why Dracula reacted the way he did. He wasn’t even there when his wife burned. I was there when Rosaly...I can’t say what I did with him, the war he waged, was _just_ but I understand it.”

“I’m not forgiving you. There’s nothing to be sorry for. I get it,” Trevor said with a shrug. “When you find yourself agreeing with or at least understanding Dracula, it’s a fucking weird thought. I’m sure you know better than me, but he was a writer. Wrote every damn thing down, all kinds of shit. The years I’ve spent in that castle, I’ve come across it. He knew Adrian inside out. Knew his vulnerabilities and tried to fix them. There are times I wish he could have finished, because he was  _ so close. _ But, no, shit hit the fan and now Adrian has to live with trauma forever.”

Hector frowned. He still had trouble seeing Alucard as  _ Adrian _ , a person underneath all the fanciful legends. They had only met for the first time recently, and it was a surreal thing. It was even more difficult for him to see the family unit him, Vlad, and Lisa used to be. He hardly knew a thing about it, and only knew Dracula well enough to guess at it. 

“Dracula never talked about his son or wife,” he said. “I know nothing about them, save for the legends and stories of Lisa’s witch trial.”

“I don’t doubt it. Adrian doesn’t talk much either. It took me forever to find out about his family. He’ll talk about Lisa more now. That really started after our daughter was born. I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar she grows up to look just like Adrian and his mother.”

Hector nodded. He shrugged, his stance more lighthearted. “Your son looks just like you, though.”

“Yeah,” Trevor said. “It’ll drive Adrian nuts if he turns into the little pest I was when I was a kid. Especially with his sister being so close in age. I used to pester my sisters  _ all _ the time.”

“My parents didn’t like my dog. I suppose that made me a pest in their eyes.”

“What, did Ruffles have missing eye sockets and shit?”

Hector laughed, the first genuine laugh he had in months. “No, he was only missing one eye. His name was Cezar.”

“If you resurrect some cat or raccoon or something, I’m not responsible for it. Deal?” Trevor said with a chuckle. 

“Deal.”


	7. The Gateway

It was quiet in the vaults. The children played with toys on the carpet as Adrian watched quietly. It had only been a few days since Trevor left, but it felt like an eternity. Luckily for Adrian, he didn’t need much sleep, if it at all. Between caring for two babies alone and his own brooding, he kept himself awake around the clock. He flipped through a book as he sat on the floor, glancing up to check on them every once in a while. 

Lisa Marie tried to push herself off the ground as Adrian crawled to her. He sat and picked her up, supporting her weight so she could stand. She couldn’t yet do it on her own, but she tried constantly and often threw fits when Adrian interrupted her for any reason. It didn’t matter if it were lunch or putting her down for a nap, if he got in her way she would get upset. Adrian couldn’t help but think it was a bit of Trevor’s stubbornness in her. 

He held her upright, letting her feet touch the ground. She smiled at him. He smiled back. She bounced in his hold and giggled, clearing enjoying herself. 

“You sure like to bounce, don’t you, sweetheart?” Adrian cooed. She giggled again. 

Laurent stared at them from the other end of the carpet. He dropped the toy in his hand and stood, toddling to Adrian’s side. His eyes shifted between Adrian and his sister. He smiled and mimicked her. 

“Bounce!” he babbled. “Daddy, bounce!”

Adrian laughed as he watched his children’s joyful attitudes. For the first time in a while, his heart was filled with warmth. 

**~*~**

The children slept as Adrian tugged on a large, oval, and gold-framed mirror. He pushed to the end of a bookcase and tore the cloth that hung over it away. He turned around, peering at where the children slept across the room. He sighed and gazed at the mirror’s surface. If the book he had been reading served to be true, then his experiment might grant him some relief. 

He carved runes into the edge. It glowed red, the edges of the mirror shining a bit brighter. The spell he conducted had been received. He sighed again, his heart thumping in his ears. He pulled a small, velvet pouch from the table a few paces away and returned to stand in front of the mirror. He tugged it open and brought out a strand of hair. He tossed it into the mirror and it disappeared. 

The image shifted. In the frame Adrian saw Trevor against the balcony of an inn, his cloak flowing with the breeze. He leaned on the railing with one arm, a cup of ale leaned over the edge as he held it in a firm grip. Adrian stared for a moment. He put out his hand and hesitated. After a moment of watching Trevor sipped ale, Adrian put the tip of his finger up against the mirror. It went through. He hesitated again, but the urge to touch his husband overtook him. He put his hand through the mirror, now portal, and touched Trevor’s shoulder. Trevor startled and jolted around, his hand on his sword. Adrian drew back. 

“What the fuck?  _ Adrian?!” _ Trevor gawked sheathing the sword. Adrian shrugged at him. 

“Did you forget all the sorcery in your family’s vaults?” Adrian chided playfully. 

“So? We aren’t fucking black magicians.” Trevor peered around the edges of the portal. “Can I step through this?”

“Yes. I have to close it manually.”

Trevor stepped through the edges, the cup of ale still in his hand. Adrian grabbed it and set it aside. He wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck. 

“I told you not to get shit-faced,” he laughed. Trevor hummed and kissed him. 

“Yeah, and I told you not to sulk, but your sulking was such a motivator you opened a fucking portal to hunt me down.”

“Any complaints?”

Trevor chuckled. “No.”

Adrian ran his hands along Trevor’s chest. “I didn’t just conduct this spell because I’m a brooding lovebird. I want to use it to communicate with you. If you need anything from the castle or the vaults to aid you, I can get it to you easily.”

“Well, that will definitely help, no doubt.” Trevor gazed to the portal. “Though, it’s going to be tricky timing when to open the passageway. I don’t want shit following us. I’m at an inn balcony tonight, but I don’t know about tomorrow.”

“I can lock and unlock the passageway. It’s locked now.”

Trevor sighed. “You have a solution for everything.”

“Yes. I thought of that possibility beforehand and went looking for the answer here in the vaults. You could say the Belmonts thought about every small detail and recorded it,” Adrian said. He shrugged. “It wasn’t easy to find, actually. It took me a few days to find the locking spell. Though I want to aid you, I wasn’t going to bother contacting you without making sure it was safe.”

“It’s a big damn advantage, that’s for sure.” Trevor took a few steps away from the portal. His mind side-tracked to his children. He took a step, Adrian grabbing his cloak.

“Trevor, I don’t know if letting the children see you is a good idea,” Adrian sighed. “They won’t understand why you keep disappearing and reappearing. I’m trying to get them used to a routine with your absence.”

“You won’t have to teach them that routine if they see me regularly.”

“I don’t want to upset them if they don’t take to it well…”

“Aren’t they more upset by not knowing where I am?” 

Adrian shook his head. “This isn’t supposed to be prolonged visits. It’s a short communication stream every day, no more than five or ten minutes at the most. It’s to relay information, pass on materials, and get you and Hector somewhere safe if needed. If you let the children see you, it will be hard to tear away.”

“Damn, you’re right,” Trevor sighed. 

“They’re sleeping now. Just  _ be _ careful,” Adrian warned with a small smile. 

Trevor walked to where the children were sleeping, Adrian behind him. They peered at Laurent asleep in his crib. He had kicked the blankets off in his sleep, and Trevor carefully pulled them back over his frame. They moved to gaze at their daughter in the bassinet. The couple stood like this a moment, enjoying the quiet. Trevor kissed Adrian’s temple. They walked back to the mirror. Trevor kissed him again after Adrian unlocked the gate. He went to grab his cup of ale, but Adrian snatched it before he could. 

“Thank you for the ale, my dear,” he teased as he brought the cup to his lips. 

“Fine. Take it, baby,” Trevor laughed. He stepped through and back onto the balcony. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Adrian said as he closed the portal, the image fading back to a reflective surface. He sighed and sat on the couch, Trevor’s cup of ale still in hand. 

**~*~**

The air was silent between Hector and Trevor as they dressed for the day. It was early morning just after dawn, the birds their waking bell. Once they were ready they headed out, saddling their carriage and continuing onward. The sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees as they exited the village and ventured onto the forest path. Trevor gnawed on a slice of bread and Hector nibbled at an apple. 

“Adrian’s a fucking genius,” Trevor said, breaking the silence. He swallowed his bread. 

Hector peered over at him. “An out of the blue sentiment, but I agree.”

“He contacted me last night through a mirror. I don’t know the fancy word for it, but he was able to open a gateway between us and the castle. We can relay information to him and request supplies if needed.”

“He did shadow work?” Hector mused aloud. “Clever. I wish I would’ve thought to suggest it before we left.”

“You know about it?”

“Of course. I’m sure the mirror he used belongs to the Belmonts, but Dracula had one similar. He used it to travel around when ruling over the other vampires.”

“It’ll help us a great deal. The only problem is, he has to be the one to contact us. If we’re in trouble, we can’t let him know. We set it so he contacts us the same time every day, but if we need him any other time, we’re shit out of luck.”

Hector frowned. “The one disadvantage. But the advantage of being able to communicate with him is better than nothing.”

“Of course.” Trevor nodded. “And it’ll keep Adrian from losing his damn mind. He loves the kids, but an adult needs at least one other adult to talk to,” he chuckled. 

The conversation ended. They enjoyed the morning breeze as they continued along the path. The road remained clear until just before they reached the next village. Blocking their path was a caravan of carriages, the one at the back missing one wheel. People stood around it as a few men tried to attach a new one. Trevor sighed from afar, already seeing it would slow them down. As he got closer, he realized what he was looking at. His eyes widened. 

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he mumbled. He stopped the carriage. 

Hector sighed and crossed his arms. “An unforeseen nuisance. Do you think if we offered to help it would get them moving along faster?”

“It’s better than a nuisance, if I can find who I _ think _ is in this caravan.”

“What?”

Trevor grinned slyly to himself. “Maybe God loves me after all.”


	8. The Trio

Trevor hopped off the side of the carriage and made his way along the path. Hector stayed still, his hands in his lap. He was at a loss on what to do, though it seemed Trevor was pleased with the people they had run into. Not knowing how to handle it, Hector thought best to stay out of it. He watched as Trevor walked up to the group trying to change the wheel. 

One of the young men working to replace the wheel glanced up. His eyes widened. “Belmont!” he exclaimed. 

“I’m surprised you remember me,” Trevor said back. He leaned on arm against the carriage. 

“How could I forget? You brought Sypha back to us after she was trapped underground. Not to mention ending the war.”

“Speaking of Sypha, is she with you?”

“Yes. Let me show you to her.”

The next thing Trevor knew he was being swamped in a friendly, excited hug from Sypha as she grinned. She took a step back and looked at him, then looked further down the road. 

“Trevor! It’s such a nice surprise running into you!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. 

“Yeah, well, I think I almost ran into you instead,” Trevor chuckled. 

“Where’s Adrian? How are the kids?”

“They’re fine. They’re not with me, they’re at home.”

“Oh…”

“You almost seem disappointed,” Trevor chuckled. 

Sypha shook her head with a small smile. She paused, her eyes wandering up to the sky in thought. Her gaze fell to him again, her brow furrowed. “What are you doing in this part of Wallachia? This area isn’t anywhere near the castle. It’s taken you at least a day or two to reach here.”

“Damn...how do you and Adrian figure shit out so fast?” he grumbled. He sighed, gearing himself for the explanation he was about to give. “I’m on a mission. There is someone trying to resurrect Dracula.”

“What?!” Sypha exclaimed. “Is that why so many are getting sick?”

“You noticed that too?”

“Yes. The Speakers have readjusted the route we usually take in order to bring aid to the ill. People are acting strange...almost like a curse.”

“Funny you should say that, because there is a curse that has blanketed the land. I have a former forgemaster with me named Hector. He hunted down Dracula’s old castle trying to find a way to stop it. It’s a long-ass story, but if you want to join us…”

“Of course. Let me gather a few things.”

**~*~**

It was night further along the path. They set up a small camp slightly off the road, Sypha lighting a fire from twigs Hector had collected. Trevor hunted game, and now they all sat around the fire eating what he had caught. He had an immense sense of deja vu at the scene. He had been here before, with two other people in a makeshift trio. Yet, this time, someone was missing…

“Trevor?”

Trevor turned around. He smiled at the portal behind him and stood. Hector and Sypha gawked. Adrian bit his lip and furrowed his brow, his cheeks flushed. 

“I didn’t know you formed your own merry little band,” Adrian said from the other side of the portal. Trevor chuckled as Sypha jumped up to stand beside him. 

“Adrian! It’s nice to see you again,” she said with a smile. Hector watched them from his space on the ground. He gnawed on a piece of meat, his heart sunken at the thought of being the odd one out. 

“I found her on the road,” Trevor said blankly. 

“It seems you have a habit of dragging her away from her people, Trevor,” Adrian chuckled. He sighed and sipped a cup of water. “Your son wanted me to spin him around in circles for nearly an hour today. Now I’m nauseous.” 

“Why he is just  _ my _ son when he gets rambunctious?” 

Adrian only chuckled. He pulled a few pieces of parchment from a table out of view. “Hector is still with you, isn’t he?”

Hector’s ears perked up. He went to stand, but hesitated, flopping back on the ground. He was nervous and awkward, always had been, and the times that came and went weren’t making it any better. He sighed and swallowed the last of his meal. 

“Yeah,” Trevor said. 

“I have a few things for him. Information I found and wrote down about forgemastering in relation to creating and breaking curses. I know you found what you needed to stop Issac, but this is more detailed information. I know you were searching before you left, and I have been looking as well. I just came across it.”

Hector finally stood and squeezed into the view of the mirror. Adrian nodded and handed the papers to him, his hand coming through the portal. Hector took them, gazing down at the intricate penmanship. 

“It says you can use your forging hammer to help break seals and curses placed on specific areas. I’m sure Issac has boarded himself inside a remote location, guarding the door so no one can easily enter. Those are the instructions and information on how to do it.”

“This is incredible information, Alucard, but I don’t have my hammer with me…” Hector frowned, staring at a diagram on the paper. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t take it with him when he saw it at the castle. He didn’t feel it was his place to take anything, even if it did once belong to him. It wasn’t his home anymore. It hadn’t been for years. 

“I see…” Adrian frowned. 

“I left it in the castle, in my old workspace.”

“Ah. I can retrieve it for you. Allow me to go get it and I’ll pass it on to you tomorrow.”

“Have the kids been ill any since being down there?” Trevor asked. Adrian shook his head. 

“Not at all. It was definitely the castle. I have to thank you, Hector. If you hadn’t warned us, we might’ve stayed ignorant what was going on while our children suffered.” 

Hector flushed. “It was no trouble. I’d rather not see any more innocent people suffer.”

“Agreed.” Adrian nodded. “Be careful out there all of you.”

“Try not to vomit twirling around like a ballerina,” Trevor laughed. Sypha couldn’t help but chuckle beside him, her hand going to her mouth. 

Adrian playfully rolled his eyes. “I had two children, I’m well used to it.”

Trevor laughed again as the image faded. The trio sat back at the fire, Hector studying the papers he was given. Sypha sipped water as Trevor gnawed on a piece of meat. The crickets chirped in the foliage beyond their setup. 

“He’s going to hold that over my head forever, Sypha,” Trevor chuckled, swallowing his food. 

Sypha giggled. “Do you blame him?”

“No. Jesus, he vomited for _weeks.”_

Something rustled in the bushes. The group perked up and gazed around the area. Hector folded the papers and stuck them in a pocket of his armor as his eyes skirted from place to place. The rustling was heard again. He put his hand on his sword, but wasn’t on full alert yet. He bit his lip. 

“What the hell was that?” Trevor asked, already standing. He took the whip off his hip and wrung it around his hand. 

“It’s probably just two animals humping in the undergrowth,” Hector said with a blank tone. 

“That’s what Adrian said. But he was…” Before Trevor could finish, two demons sprung from behind the bushes. The group readied their weapons. “...wrong.”

The beasts charged forward. The whip was thrown, hitting one in the chest and flinging it back in the brush. Another charged at Hector, and he parried it’s attempt to claw at his chest with his sword. The force of the block caused him to stumble back a bit, the demon unphased. Before it could lunge again, it screeched as fire scorched it’s side. The demon turned its crimson eyes to Sypha as Hector cut its blade through its chest. It fell to the ground in a pool of its own blackish-blue puddle of blood. Trevor stabbed through the other beast and let it fall off his sword and onto the ground. Sypha scorched the remains to make it sure it was dead. 

The group caught their breaths. Trevor sigh and wiped his forehead, the whip still in hand. “What the hell?” he mumbled. 

“This isn’t good,” Hector said. “Either Issac is aware of us or he has resurrected nighthoards to attack the land.”

“Does that mean Dracula is resurrected as well?” Sypha asked. 

“Not necessarily. He could be resurrecting beasts while he waits. Bringing back someone as powerful as Dracula is not an overnight possibility. There’s no way to know how arduous a process that is without getting in his hold and studying the materials he’s using to attempt it.”

“ _ Shit _ . We don’t have time to fuck around. How close do you think we are to finding him?” Trevor asked. 

“It should be soon. We are getting close to the general area he should be located in, but we still have to search for where he’s hiding.”

Sypha nodded. “Let’s hurry and hope nothing drastic has happened yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new trio to fight the creatures of the night. lol 
> 
> Thank you guys for all the comments and support for this fic! I really appreciate it! I wanted to update sooner, but I was really busy this week. I was also a bit stuck on where to take the story, but I've got it all planned out now. :)


	9. The Return

Adrian sighed and etched runes into the mirror. His children were asleep after a long, tiring day. He could sense the antsy energies in his two children, children that were used to roaming around the castle with their parents and playing outside. Lisa Marie fussed the entire day, often refusing to eat when he tried to feed her. Laurent cried for Trevor on three separate occasions, during which he also refused food. To say that Adrian was tense would be an understatement. Once they were asleep, Adrian quickly retrieved Hector’s hammer, which for him and his abilities, took approximately two minutes. Now he had to pass it on. 

Trevor’s image came into view. Adrian sighed again, looking around what seemed to be an inn. He watched for a moment as his husband undid his buckles, his back to him. Trevor’s shirt slid off his shoulders and placed on the bed before Adrian decided to announce his presence. 

“Trevor.”

Trevor turned around, a smirk already on his lips. “Enjoying the view?” 

“I would if I wasn’t so damn exhausted,” Adrian said, pushing back a strand of his hair. 

“Is everything alright?”

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, Adrian,” Trevor chided softly. He turned to face the portal. “What is it?”

“Are you somewhere safe?” 

“An inn with a room to myself. We all got separate rooms. They’re small, but nice.”

Adrian stepped through the portal and wrapped his arms around Trevor’s chest, his head on his shoulder. A sob escaped his mouth as Trevor startled back, his hands cautiously wrapped around Adrian’s frame. His fingers brushed through strands of long, blonde hair. 

“Was today a rough day?” Trevor asked, his voice gentle. Adrian nodded. “What happened?”

“They’re both refusing to eat. I tried all day, Trevor. All day! I only got them to eat half of what they usually do. I’m such a terrible father, I can’t even get my children to eat!”

Trevor sighed. “That’s not true, Adrian. You and I both know you’re a good parent. You’ve been looking after them since before they were even  _ born, _ how could you not be?”

“He keeps crying for you. What am I supposed to do?”

“Are they sick?”

“I checked them for every symptom I could think of. There’s nothing out of the ordinary physically. Yet, they keep throwing fits and fussing and sobbing. I had to wash them both up twice today.”

Trevor stayed a moment. He wasn’t sure what to say. His fingers continued to brush through his husband’s hair. After a pause of quiet, he finally spoke. “That’s not like them.”

Adrian sighed into Trevor’s shoulder. “I know. I think it’s the change of pace. We had a routine with them, we took them outside to play. Now I’ve locked them in a vault with only a small area for them to be children. They don’t understand where you are, where our home went, and I can’t explain it to them so they understand. Perhaps if I let them play outside for a while tomorrow it’ll help them feel better.”

“U-Uh...I wouldn’t recommend that, Adrian…” Trevor mumbled, dread in his veins. Adrian leaned back, his reddened eyes wide. 

“Why?”

“We ran into demons after we finished talking to you last night. We can’t be sure if they were sent to attack us specifically or if they’re being set loose to bring havoc to the first people they set eyes on.”

“Damn it…” Adrian sighed. 

“It’s nothing we can’t handle, but the rest of Wallachia? Who knows.”

“I should’ve anticipated this…”

“Adrian…”

Adrian shook his head and took a step back. “It is what it is. Now it’s time to work to stop it.” He stepped through the portal, grabbed the hammer, and stepped back again. “Here, take this to Hector when you see him again.”

Trevor took the hammer and set it aside. He cupped Adrian’s jaw with both hands, forcing them to make eye-contact. “I’m worried about you and the kids,” he admitted. 

“We’ll be fine,” Adrian insisted, his hand to cupping Trevor’s wrist. Trevor gave a look of disapproval. 

“Doesn’t sound like it,” he said. There was a pause. “Let me see them.”

“Absolutely not.”

“It’s either you let me see them or they continue to throw fits and not eat.”

Adrian sighed and skirted his eyes away from Trevor’s stark gaze. “Normal children don’t get to see their parents when they’re sent off to war. They have to deal with it. I told them you were away, they’ll have to learn to live with it.”

“Adrian, that’s a bit harsh coming from you. That sounds like some shit I would’ve said three or four years ago.”

“Harsh?” Adrian said, his voice weak. “It’s...reality…”

“Yeah, for some, but not for us,” Trevor sighed. “They’re  _ babies. _ They aren’t going to understand how to just live with it. If we have the power to keep them from getting upset, we should take advantage of it.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Alright. I relent,” Adrian said, putting up his hands. “Come on.”

Trevor nodded, a slight smile on his lips. “Let me give this hammer to Hector, then I’ll be right there.”

**~*~**

Hector didn’t know how he should feel. The hammer from times of old was once again in his hands, given to him by Trevor with a random knock on the door in the middle of the night. Of course, Hector hadn’t been asleep at that point, but the sound had put him on edge. Trevor had passed the tool over, saying Adrian had delivered it, then promptly took his leave. Now he was alone with it, and the memories. 

There was more than one way to follow the curse. Him and Trevor had found one method within the Belmont hold, but there was another. Not only could his hammer be used to create and break curses, he could also create hellions at his liege to sniff a curse’s location out for him. 

It would be easier than the methods him and Trevor planned on using, which required a lot of careful potion creation and spellwork, not to mention holy water. If Hector would make one demon, summon one soul from the depths…

But that would involve beginning to forge again, which he had given up long ago. It wasn’t as if he had forgotten how to. Yet, with Rosaly, he put his tools away. She didn’t like it. Not that it scared her or intimidated her, but it took him away from being a normal human. That was all she ever wanted for him. Roslay may have tried her damnedest to get him to live a normal life, and had it work for a few years, but it was only temporary. Hector wasn’t a normal human. He never would be. 

Hector cleared the table under the window of his room. He closed the curtains, shutting away the outside world and the moonlight, the candles his only flicker of yellow. He took the hammer, raised it, and rejoined his comrades in hell. 

**~*~**

By the time Trevor left to give Hector the hammer and returned, chaos had broken loose on the other side of the portal. When he stepped through, he couldn’t help but wince at the high-pitched wails and sobbing that echoed off the high ceilings of the Belmont vault. He clenched his teeth at seeing Adrian desperately trying to soothe both of their children at once, with one in each arm. Trevor frowned. He hadn’t seen his husband this drug and out and exhausted in years. Not even when their children were born did he look the way he did at that moment. 

“Come now, sweetheart, it’s alright,” Adrian mumbled to his daughter, who was fighting his hold on her. His son was doing the same. Luckily for Adrian, his strength kept them from budging. 

Trevor sat on the sofa beside them. Adrian glanced up, his eyes wide with relief and surprise. He nodded, and Trevor took Laurent from his arms, whose back was to him. The boy yelped and cried until he was able to see who was holding him. 

“Hey, kiddo,” Trevor said softly. 

“Papa?” Laurent said, his breath hitching from his sobbing. Trevor wiped the tears off his cheeks. 

“I told you not to give Daddy a hard time, didn’t I?” Trevor sighed. His son snuggled into his chest as he wrapped an arm around him. He whimpered. Trevor gestured for Adrian to nestle the crying and thrashing little girl into his free arm. Adrian obliged, finally free for a moment’s rest. Lisa Marie’s cries settled down, and soon, both children were emitting soft breaths. Adrian rose and fetched their meals and handed them to Trevor. 

“Are you two hungry?” Trevor asked them. Laurent nodded. 

Adrian collapsed on the sofa, his head leaned back on the cushions. He watched as his children ate their meal, his heart finally at ease. Some of his anxiety of the day faded at ensuring they had food in their stomachs. His stomach on the other hand, was empty and emitting strange echoes of hunger. He couldn’t decide what to do first: pass out against a pillow or eat a small meal. His body chose for him, and he passed out beside Trevor and his peaceful children on the sofa. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gives Hector the chance to start forging before the action starts to pick up! From what I understand (from reading lore), Hector does start forging again in Curse of Darkness, in order to fight against Issac. ;)
> 
> Thank you for all the support this fic has gotten. I really appreciate it! <3


	10. The Underground

The door to Trevor’s room was knocked on. It sounded distant, and in a half-asleep state, Trevor paid it no mind. He yawned, the warmth of his daughter against his chest lulling him back asleep. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes again. His son was curled into his side, Adrian right beside him, one arm strewn over the small boy’s torso. Trevor chuckled. Even in his sleep, Adrian was the protective  _ Mama Bird _ Trevor always teased him about being. A short flashback came to his mind:

_ “You’re a total Mama Bird, but it’s fine.” _

_ “A Mama Bird?” _

_ “Yeah. You hover and peck all the time.” _

Another knock on the door caused Trevor to snap out of his thoughts. He glanced around his room in the inn, the portal at the far wall. He blinked and looked to the bed he was in. Somehow his whole family had piled on top of each other in his bed on the other side of Wallachia. He wasn’t sure how it happened. Everyone was exhausted the night before. It must've been a desperate attempt at relaxation and calm.

The knocking grew more fervent. Trevor huffed and shuffled out of bed, mumbling under his breath. He still held Lisa Marie in his arms, glancing back to Adrian and Laurent fast asleep. He peered through the hole in the door and saw an annoyed Sypha on the other side. Trevor unlocked and opened the it. Her miffed look met his eyes before they fell to the girl in his arms. Her face softened as she welcomed herself into his room. Trevor shut the door as the girl was snatched from his arms. 

“Hi there, little Lisa Marie,” Sypha cooed. “Auntie Sypha’s missed you so much!”

“Auntie?” Laurent said from across the room. He was sitting on his knees in the bed, his eyes wide and curious. Sypha put the baby back in Trevor’s arms and walked over to the boy. She sat on the edge of the bed and he crawled into her lap. She smiled and cooed at him. 

Adrian stirred and opened his eyes. “What?” he mumbled. “How did I... _ ugh.” _

“Somehow we all congregated into the same bed,” Trevor said, sitting down on the sheets. “I don’t really remember how it happened."

“My head is killing me,” Adrian sighed. 

“Perhaps you need to eat something.”

“Perhaps.” Adrian climbed out of bed and patted down his tangled hair. “Let me get them on the other side of the portal so you can go about your day.”

Before anyone could move, a loud bark was heard from outside the door. It rumbled the walls, a deep noise that was in between alertness and giving off a threat. Trevor stood and Adrian followed. The children began to cry at the intrusion, and Sypha tried to comfort the little boy in her lap. Trevor grabbed his whip from where it was wrapped around the edge of a chair. 

“What the hell was that?” he asked. 

“I don’t know,” Adrian responded. He grabbed Lisa Marie from Trevor’s arms. Sypha stood and handed the little boy off to him as he made his way back to the portal. Trevor approached the door and peered through the hole in the middle. 

“What the fuck?!” he exclaimed. “It’s fine. Hector’s conjured some weird creature up.”

“I’m surprised he got to work that fast after getting the hammer,” Adrian sighed. He stepped through the portal. “Be careful out there, you two.”

“No guarantees,” Trevor said. Adrian huffed, a look of dismay on his face. Sypha shrugged and gave him a reassuring smile. 

“We’ll be fine,” she said with a lighthearted wave to the children. Adrian nodded, his features softening a little. 

“Thank you, Sypha,” he said before he closed the portal. A deep breath escaped his lungs, exhaustion creeping up in his bones despite just waking. He was alone yet again with two crying, utterly terrified children. It was going to be a long day.

**~*~**

Once the portal was shut, Trevor opened the door to his room. Hector turned his head to him, his cheeks already flushed. He patted the top of the dog’s head and it sat down as if it were a command. Its crimson eyes stared at Trevor as if waiting for food or affection. Trevor raised a brow at them. 

“What kind of freaky adventure did you go on last night?” he asked. 

Hector shrugged, his shoulders meek. “I conjured this creature with the hammer. It will be easier for us to follow the curse this way. It can sniff it out as an ordinary dog can a human’s scent. It will lead us to where we need to be faster.”

“It’s not going to attack us or go batshit, right?”

“Not at all. It heeds my every command. I am its master.”

“Alright then. Let’s go.”

**~*~**

The trio traveled through the rugged forests of the Wallachian countryside, putting their complete faith in the hound Hector had conjured. The terrain got more steep as time went on, and as the fireflies began to glow with dusk, the creature began its loud, rumbling bark once again. Trevor’s lulling eyes widened at the noise. He glanced over to Hector. 

“Did it find something?” he asked. 

“I believe it did.” Hector crouched down to the hound’s level. His eyes inspected the patch of ground around them. After a moment, he stood and pointed to a pile of rocks a few paces away. “There,” he said, “beneath those rocks.”

Trevor walked over and began tugging at pile. Hector followed. Before long, a hatch was revealed. Trevor grunted, took his whip off his belt, and wrapped it around his wrist. Sypha stood over them and peered at the ground, her brows furrowed. 

“Do you think he’s here, Hector?” she asked. Hector stood with a nod, unsheathing his sword. Trevor tugged on the hatch and it opened. Sypha lit flames which allowed them to see into the depths below. Together they ventured down, unsure what they would find next. 

**~*~**

The hallways of the underground hideaway were like a labyrinth. There were torches lined along the walls, which Sypha promptly lit. The path ventured far and out of view. Trevor huffed when he walked through a cobweb. He grew impatient at the quiet, his nerves expecting a fight. 

“Where’s this fucker?” he mused aloud. 

The hound barked again. Hector startled, then settled down. “Somewhere near…”

They came upon two double doors. Crimson light glowed from underneath from the crack between the floor and the doors. The group glanced to each other and gave nods of reassurance. Trevor kicked at the door. Its rotten wood gave way quickly, the hinges creaking as they flew outward. They ventured in with caution. 

There was a forging table at the far side of the room. Upon it was a hammer, two torches glowing hot red at each end of the workplace. There was a mirror a few paces away from the table. The group studied the space, their backs to each other. It was quiet. 

The room was empty. 

“What the hell?” Trevor said. “There’s nothing here.”

Hector swallowed. He raised his head to gaze at the ceiling. The hairs on the back of his neck stood as the hound barked again. His grip on his sword tightened. “Trevor,” he exhaled, “it’s a trap.”

Before anyone could respond, the ceiling crumbled and gave way. A large creature descended and landed right in front of them. Its eyes were crimson, its jaw stark with jagged teeth. It growled and readied its claws for a lunge. 

Trevor took a few steps back.  _ “Shit,” _ he cursed. “Werewolf.”

Sypha immediately shot fire in its direction. Her eyes widened when it seemed to have no impact, the creature springing to hang against one of the far walls. Trevor threw Morning Star out but it lunged to another wall before it hit. Hector ordered his hound to ready for an attack. He took a dart from off his belt and try to steady an aim. The werewolf bounced from wall to wall, growling and snarling with each leap. 

“Ice, Sypha,” Trevor said, throwing out his weapon again. “It’s not holy water, but it’ll slow it down more than fire will.”

Sypha nodded and switch her element, throwing icicles at the hellion. One hit its shoulder and shattered to pieces that rained down to the ground and melted away. The contact caused a searing burn to the fur of the werewolf, and the creature let out a growl of irritation. Despite the onslaught Sypha brought to it, it didn’t seem to slow down. Trevor kept trying to ensnare it within the chains of his whip to no avail. After a large piece of ice hit the werewolf’s chest, it faltered a moment as it hung low on one of the walls. Hector aimed his dart of silver and threw it. It hit the creature’s shoulder and lodged within it. It screeched in pain, its eyes fixed on Hector in rage. It lunged, and Hector dove to escape its claws. He landed on his arm and hissed, hearing his hound attack. He stood and faltered, Trevor and Sypha rushing forward as the hound bit at the werewolf’s ankle. 

Trevor threw Morning Star again. It began to wrap around the beast as Sypha pelted it with ice. Before the whip could tighten, the werewolf shook the hound free and lunged out of the wrapping. Trevor stumbled back, bumping into Hector. Hector stumbled too, desperately trying to regain his footing from his dive. The beast approached. Trevor extended his whip out again, this time getting a tighter pull. It wrapped around the hellion's upper body as it screeched. 

The silver of the weapon seared the creature’s skin as it began to smoke. Trevor held on to the whip and guided it around the werewolf, his grip tight. With the last of its agility, the beast lunged back a few paces, dragging the unsuspecting Trevor with it. Trevor let out a grunt of surprise as he was dragged. Sypha and Hector rushed forward. Trevor was pulled against the floor. He tried to slow himself, but it was to no avail. As the creature burned, it used the last of its strength to take the claws of it's foot and dig them into Trevor’s abdomen before he could roll out of the way. Hector lunged and beheaded the creature, it’s skull toppling and rolling to the far side of the room. The rest of the body disintegrated into ash, Morning Star piling into a heap in the dust. 

Trevor writhed in pain as blood pooled against his tunic. He lifted his head slightly to get a look before letting it fall again. He rose his arm to wipe at the sweat on his face. 

“Shit…” he mumbled as Sypha and Hector fell to their knees beside him. Sypha unbuttoned his tunic. Hector winced at seeing the deep gashes along his abdomen and chest, the blood bubbling. He took a cloth from small pouch at his hip and did his best to wipe some of it away. It was no use. The gashes were too deep, his small handkerchief was of no aid. Sypha raised her hands and began doing her best to heal him. 

“Oh no,” she sighed, her tone panicked. 

“What is it?” Hector asked. 

“I’m not doing much to slow it down! This is the most powerful spell I have.”

“W-What are we going to do?!”

“Don’t let that bastard be the one to take me down,” Trevor mumbled with a groan. 

“Trevor!” a shocked voice called out. 

Sypha and Hector turned to see Adrian staring at them with a look of horror on his face. Sypha nodded to him, her hands still working their best to heal him. 

“Adrian, hurry and let us through the portal. This was a trap, he’s not here.”

Adrian nodded and grabbed Trevor from under his arms, hulling him through the gateway. Once everyone was through, the portal was shut and the image of the underground keep faded away. Adrian scrambled for supplies as Sypha desperately continued her magic. The blood continued to bubble. Adrian wiped it away with gauze and tried to begin stitches. Red kept spilling through the wound, and Adrian gawked, his shock leaving him unsure of what to do. Hector grabbed the gauze and wiped the blood away. Adrian snapped back into his senses and nodded, working to stitch the wounds as Hector wiped the crimson away. One scratch had been stitched when Trevor grunted. 

“Adrian,” he said, his voice weak. 

“I-I’m almost done, love,” Adrian responded, his lips trembling. 

“N-No...Stop and look at me.”

“I’m almost done!”

“No, it’s t-too late.”

Adrian shook his head, tears on his cheeks. “I-It’s not, it’s not!”

“Damn it, you bastard!” Trevor grunted. “ _ Look. At. Me. _ ”

Adrian willed himself to look his husband in the eyes. Trevor’s face was weak, but his eyes were flaring with determination. 

“Bite me,” Trevor said, his stare tense. 

“What?” Adrian gawked at him, his bloodied hands trembling. 

“B-Bite me, you a-asshole.”

“Y-You’re a Belmont!” Adrian argued, his nerves shot. He wasn’t sure what he was saying or why. He shook his head in disbelief. 

“My kids…I-I just want to be there for my kids,” Trevor begged. “ _ Please, _ Adrian.”

Adrian was distraught. He felt as though he were an observer to his own existence, his mind and body distant from each other. He stared at Trevor, then to his crimson hands, his wedding band soaked. In an instant he didn’t fully process, his husband’s head was in his hands, his neck to titled the side. He leaned down. 

It was the worst drink of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst! :0
> 
> This chapter was kind of tough to write. I'm not the best at battle scenes. I hope it makes sense enough, it made sense in my head. lol 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos! I appreciate it!


	11. Crimson Stare

Hector was in awe. His mind tried to keep pace with what he was seeing, but it couldn’t no matter how hard it tried. He watched Adrian sink his fangs into Trevor’s neck and feed, his grip desperate and his eyes squeezed shut. Trevor winced, his hand reaching to touch Adrian's bicep, but he didn’t have the strength to squeeze. Hector wasn’t sure how he should feel about the scene before him. To him, it made him feel odd, as if he were seeing another interaction between a married couple he shouldn’t have been privy to. 

If he were being honest with himself, Hector had never seen a vampire feed on a human in such a way. He had seen vampires attack humans and drink their blood, leaving them for dead. He had never seen one try to turn a human. Hector had never seen Dracula feed either. If he fed, it was with blood in a chalice, and it would have passed off as wine to those who weren’t paying attention. Hector wasn’t sure if Dracula had ever turned a human either. He hadn’t with his wife. A chill went down his spine. Adrian was Dracula’s son, this was a sharp, raw reminder of it. 

Adrian pulled away and placed Trevor’s head back on the ground. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, staining the white fabric crimson. He trembled and stared at Trevor, whose eyes were closed and his body still. 

“S-Sypha…” he said, his voice cracking. “Sypha…”

Sypha went to Adrian’s side and sat beside him. She wrapped her arm around him, her eyes wide with shock and surprise. Her stare shifted between Trevor and Adrian. Adrian shook his head, tears steadily falling down his cheeks. 

“W-What have I done, Sypha?” Adrian said, his hand covering his mouth. His skin was still bloodied, the gold of his wedding band reflecting the light. Hector stiffened. 

“Take a deep breath, Adrian,” she said, her voice soft. 

“I-I betrayed my family, Sypha…”

“Breathe, Adrian.”

“I sucked him dry. I drank my husband’s blood!” Adrian exclaimed. He gagged and bolted upward, rushing off to one of the side rooms in the vault. Sypha rushed after him. A door flung open, and the sound of Adrian retching echoed the space. Hector swallowed bile. He wasn’t squeamish, but this scene was taking him close to the edge. 

Hector glanced down to Trevor’s still body. He was soaked in blood, the wounds raw on his abdomen and chest. The bleeding had stopped, but the crimson soaked the skin. His eyes shifted up to Trevor’s neck and saw the pierced fang marks there. Goosebumps sprouted on Hector’s skin. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought Trevor was dead. Was he? He couldn’t be sure. 

Sypha came out of the small room off to the side and shut the door. She gathered supplies and brought a bucket of water and a few rags over to where Trevor was. She crouched down, Hector staring at her with a lost gaze. 

“He...just needs a moment,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t blame him.”

“Is...Trevor dead, Sypha?” Hector asked in a whisper. 

Sypha swallowed. “He...might be,” she responded, her voice shaking. “Adrian injected vampirism into his body. He will come back at some point.”

“W-What if he did it too late?” 

“W-We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Hector pawed at his neck. His finger touched the cold of silver. Morning Star was draped over the back of his neck. He removed it and curled it on a table to the side. He didn’t remember grabbing the Belmont heirloom, but at some point he did. He was glad. They were better off not losing such a precious object. 

Sypha dipped a rag into the water and began to wipe away the blood on Trevor’s body. Hector watched, hearing the soft sniffles of a child behind him. He winced and stared at Sypha with the same lost, dazed look. Sypha sighed and bit her lip. She washed her hands off and stood. 

“I’m going to check on the children. Can you clean him off?” she asked. Hector nodded. 

“Of course.”

Hector dipped a rag into the water and Sypha walked off. She went to Laurent and picked him up, cuddling him to her chest. He sniffled and gripped a piece of the loose fabric on her robes. 

“It’s okay, Auntie’s here,” she said, trying to soothe him. “How about we take a walk?” 

Sypha carried the boy off to another part of the vaults. Hector worked to clean Trevor off, and finished before Sypha returned. Adrian still hadn’t returned from the far room. Hector cleaned himself and stood, Trevor’s body still on the floor. He wanted to move him to a bed pushed against the wall beside the room Adrian was in, but he didn’t want to do anything without approval. He assumed the bed was where Adrian slept while in the vaults, a large space fit for a couple. Hector stiffened again. A child sniffled behind him. He turned around, but Sypha wasn’t there. His eyes fell to the bassinet beside the empty crib. 

The sniffling continued. Hector crept up to the bassinet, nervous and careful. He peered inside to see the little girl softly crying, her body squirming in dismay. Hector bit his lip. There was no one around but him and the baby. If Hector recalled, Trevor had told him she was just six months old. 

Hector watched her, too nervous to do anything. He wasn’t sure if he was trusted enough by his comrades to touch the child. They had fought together, but this was Trevor and Adrian’s child. Trevor was... _ in limbo,  _ Adrian was inconsolable. Sypha was gone. The sniffling continued. A quick memory of him and Rosaly at the market came to his mind:

_ “Oh, I can’t stand it!” Rosaly exclaimed, dropping an apple into her basket.  _

_ Hector furrowed his brows. “Can’t stand what?” he asked.  _

_ “The crying child. Someone help the poor thing.” _

_ “I’m sure it’s fine…” _

_ “No. Babies don’t cry for no reason. They need people to comfort them. Some parents those are.” _

Hector blinked. Rosaly was right, she had  _ always _ been right in his eyes. She could never stand to be around a crying child. It wasn’t that it annoyed her, rather, she ached when it continued for a long period of time. Her heart was kind and open, and she hated to see pain. Hector stared at the little girl.  _ He couldn’t stand it. _

He picked the baby up and held her. It was a bit awkward at first, he hadn’t held children much in his life. However, he soon settled down, the baby’s head on his chest. The sniffling settled down. He laid her back in the bassinet and she closed her eyes. Sypha returned with the boy. She placed him back in the crib. 

“I think we should move Trevor to the bed,” Hector said. Sypha nodded. 

“Yes. That would be for the best.”

**~*~**

Adrian emerged from the room some time later. He had cleaned himself and changed his clothing. He wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel, the will to respond to his situation sucked out of him. The room was quiet, Sypha and Hector sitting on the sofa near the crib and bassinet. Adrian walked over to them. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice weak. “I shouldn’t have left you to look after my children…”

“It’s fine, Adrian. I have no problem looking after them, you know that,” Sypha said softly. 

“I’m not sure what to think…” He paused. “Trevor...he’ll come back given a day or two. I injected vampirism to him through my fangs.”

“Is he…?” Sypha said, not daring to finish her sentence. 

“Dead? Yes…” Adrian responded, his voice cracking. “The vampirism needs time to regenerate his functions. Until then…”

The room was silent. Adrian walked over to the crib and covered his sleeping son up with a blanket. He did the same for his daughter. He rubbed his palm on his forehead and crossed his arms. Sypha rose and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“You can go be with him,” she said. “It’s alright.”

“He’s gone…What am I going to do?” Adrian mumbled. 

“He might not know the difference, but you will.”

Adrian nodded. He walked back to the bed and climbed on top of the sheets. He brushed through some of Trevor’s hair before exhaustion caused him to fall asleep. 

**~*~**

It was a day later. Adrian stood at the bedside and washed Trevor’s face with a warm cloth as Sypha and Hector ate breakfast. The cloth was placed back in the basin as Trevor’s eyes twitched. Adrian stiffened. He put his hand on Trevor’s shoulder as his eyes twitched again. After a few minutes, they opened. 

Adrian didn’t think a stare could stab his soul. He was wrong. 

The blue-grey eyes had grown accustomed to, the color he had learned to trust and confide, in was gone. What stared back was a lurid shade of crimson. Adrian’s eyes widened, awe on his features. 

“A-Adrian?” Trevor mumbled. He blinked and shifted in bed. 

“Trevor…” Adrian mumbled back. 

Trevor looked around. “Why am I here?”

Adrian stiffened. He glanced back and met the wide gazes and Hector and Sypha staring at them from the other side of the room. He turned to Trevor again and swallowed, unsure what to say. 

“What is the last thing you remember?” Adrian asked. Trevor squinted and shrugged. 

“I was fighting a werewolf. The last thing I remember is Hector beheading it.”

“Do you remember being wounded?”

“Yes. It hurt like hell…” Trevor glanced down. He furrowed his brows. “It doesn’t hurt anymore…”

“We stitched your wounds…” Adrian exhaled. He fidgeted, trying to quickly put together how he would tell his husband what state he would forever be in. 

“Oh. Did you give me painkillers or something?”

“N-No…”

“Okay…” Trevor raised a brow. “Why is everyone staring at me?”

Sypha and Hector stiffened and turned away. Adrian cupped the edge of Trevor’s jaw and tugged on it so they made eye-contact. He tried to shove away the array of emotions that sprung forth when he was met with a dark stare instead of a light one. 

“You bled out, Trevor,” Adrian said, his voice quiet. 

“What do you mean I  _ bled out?” _

“You were dying. You...You asked me to turn you.”

There was a stark silence. Trevor stared into the distance, not fully processing what was said. He licked his lip and gazed back to Adrian. 

“I’m a _ fucking _ vampire?” he said, a mix of emotions in his voice. 

Adrian trembled. “You were dead, Trevor! Before--Before I did--you told me to...I never would have without your permission…”

“Why? Why did I say that?”

“You said you wanted to be there for your children. You knew you were about to die.”

“Holy shit…” Trevor blinked again and leaned back against the pillows. 

“I never should have...I panicked... _ Oh God… _ ” Adrian rambled, his mouth covered by his fingertips. 

“But I would be dead if you didn’t…” 

“You  _ were _ dead, Trevor. The vampirism brought you back.”

Trevor shook his head in disbelief.  _ “Holy shit…” _

“I’ve--I’ve betrayed our family. I turned a Belmont into a damn vampire! I knew a marriage between Dracula’s son and a Belmont wouldn’t work. I’ve been selfish all this time!”

Trevor narrowed his brows, miffed at what Adrian was saying. “Hey, fuck you, I  _ love _ our marriage.”

“Fuck you, Trevor, because I do too!” Adrian retorted throwing up his hands. “Why else did I agree to turn you?!”

“I asked you to do it. It was my decision.”

“You don’t even remember making it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I made it. What’s done is done.”

“I told you mixing the bloodlines may have not been a good idea,” Adrian said, crossing his arms. “The Belmonts fight monsters, not fuck them and marry them! Especially not turn into them!”

“Hey, _ double _ fuck you, I love my kids!” 

Adrian clenched his fists. He grew frustrated that Trevor wasn’t seeing the point he was trying to make. The Belmonts and Dracula were archenemies. Yet, because of them, their bloodlines had intertwined. Now, because of them, the head of House Belmont was a vampire himself. 

“ _ Ugh _ , I could strangle you, Trevor!”

Trevor scoffed. “Try again, sweetheart. Perhaps you should find a stake instead.”

Adrian threw his arms upward and and stomped away. He walked into the nearest room and slammed the door shut. Trevor huffed. He tossed his legs over the side of the bed and gripped the table for support. He hauled himself up and stretched, his muscles tight. He looked to his chest. Scars from the claw wounds littered his upper body, which were all healed. He rubbed his thumb over the skin. It was rough, but pain-free. 

Trevor stumbled a bit as he regained his footing. He patted down his hair and walked forward. His eyes trained on the crib and bassinet. When he reached the crib, Laurent was awake. The little boy stared at him and smiled. 

“Papa!” Laurent babbled, putting out his arms. Trevor picked him up with a smile of his own. 

“Hey, kiddo,” he said. “I missed you.”

“Papa!” he said again. His small finger poked Trevor’s cheek. “Red!”

“Red? What’s red?”

“Eyes. Papa...red eyes…”

Trevor swallowed. He blinked and walked over to the mirror, paying no mind to Hector and Sypha staring at him. When face to face with the reflection, he saw his son but not him. He let go a shaky breath. He placed Laurent on the ground and walked away. He ventured to the room Adrian had locked himself in and knocked. Adrian cautiously opened the door. 

“Look, I’m sorry,” Trevor said. “We need to talk.”


	12. House Belmont

Adrian shut the door behind his husband and took a step back. His hands were clasped together in front of him, his head turned to avoid Trevor’s newly piercing gaze. Trevor exhaled and bit his lip. It soon drew blood that seeped into his mouth. He swallowed, his eyes wide. 

“Adrian!” he exclaimed. “Adrian, there’s something sharp in my mouth!”

There was silence a moment. Adrian walked to Trevor and stood in front of him. He put his finger above Trevor’s upper lip and pushed to reveal the inside of his mouth. His hand dropped when he winced. 

“Your fangs are in,” he mumbled. 

“Jesus Christ…” Trevor said, squeezing his hands into fists. 

“I’m sorry, Trevor Belmont, Head of House  _ fucking _ Belmont. Feel free to absolve our marriage and take your children with you,” Adrian responded, his tone bitter. He was angry at himself. A Belmont as dedicated to the family crest as Trevor was had no business being a vampire. It didn’t matter that he begged for it, and Adrian panicked, it just seemed like a betrayal to him. He couldn’t help but think what it would look like on paper: the son of Dracula married the last son of the Belmont family. They used heavy magic to have children together, mixing their bloodlines. Then, Adrian turns Trevor into a vampire. It seemed dubious to the onlooker, at least that’s what Adrian thought. 

The breath was knocked from Adrian’s lungs when he was grabbed by the collar and shoved against the wall. He gasped, Trevor’s grip on him, those piercing eyes glaring into his. Adrian stiffened, the anger and frustration on Trevor’s face causing him to fill the ticket of _ vampire _ fast. 

“Listen to me, you motherfucking bastard,” Trevor said, a guttural growl at the back of his throat. “_I love you._ I knew exactly what I was getting into when I married you. And you know what? I fucking accepted that! We created a life together, a family…” Trevor pushed Adrian further into the wall, jolting him slightly. “Those are our kids.  _ OUR KIDS!  _ You don’t get to try and remove yourself from this family, the family you gave birth to, all because things are different for us now. Because  _ I’m _ different now.”

Adrian trembled and covered his face with his hand. Trevor loosened his grip, his hands moving to cup Adrian’s shoulders. 

“I don’t give a fuck what you say. You can deny it all you want, Adrian, but you’re a Belmont. Maybe not by blood, but it doesn’t matter. You brought House Belmont back.  _ We _ are the Heads of House Belmont. You can’t act like your role doesn’t exist.”

Adrian dropped the hand covering his face, dragging a few teardrops with it. He stared at his husband with a dull, cold gaze. “Then I’ve betrayed every ideal House Belmont stands for,” he said blankly. 

“House Belmont is what we make of it,” Trevor retorted. 

“It only took two to reverse the work of centuries, then.”

“No.”

“How? How, Trevor?!” Adrian shot back at him, his voice strained. “Look out there, in your family vaults. Skull after skull of fanged beings in glass cases set out for display. What makes your skull any different now?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re a contradiction.”

“So are you, asshole. Yet, that hasn’t stopped you from living your life, from fighting for what’s right.”

Adrian exhaled, letting his eyes fall to the floor. “You didn’t really want this for yourself, did you, Trevor?” he asked quietly. 

Trevor shrugged, his stare fixed on the wall behind Adrian’s head. “I don’t know what I wanted. I never really thought about it. Yet, there’s some part of me that  _ knew _ you turning me was an option. I don’t know what it feels like to bleed to death, I don’t remember. But there was something that made me ask you to do that. And there was something that made you do it.”

“I...I didn’t want to lose you,” Adrian admitted, biting back a sob. “When you begged me to do it for the children...I couldn’t say no.”

“I don’t regret it, Adrian.” Trevor shook his head. “You and the kids are everything to me. I promised our son and daughter before there were even  _ born _ that I wouldn’t leave them the way my parents left me. I was twelve when my parents died. _ Twelve _ . At least I remembered them. Those babies...I want them to know who I am. I want them to be raised by us _ together. _ We’ve come too far, put up with too much bullshit, to lose our family all over again. It’s already happened to each of us once.”

“You were willing to sacrifice your humanity to do it…” 

“I suppose I was.”

“I’m sorry, Trevor,” Adrian sighed. “Perhaps I got too hung up on ideals of the past. It’s just...there’s a way the Belmonts are. A way they always have been. I don’t want to be the one to disrespect family history because I turned you into something your family has fought so long against.”

“I made the decision. You agreed to it. It’s not like you take all the fault,” Trevor said, his tone softer. “Not everyone that has vampiric blood is an evil demon. You’ve taught me that. Come on, Adrian. Our children, Belmont heirs, are part vampire. Their grandfather is fucking Dracula. If I didn’t trust you, that would’ve never happened. It’s not the blood, it’s the individual.”

“You’ll never agree to drinking human blood,” Adrian said. “You’ll swear to sustain yourself on animal blood instead.”

“Damn right. It’s not impossible, is it?”

“Of course not. It will take more blood to get your fill, but it’s doable.”

“So be it.”

Adrian embraced his husband. They stayed this way a while, simply enjoying the privilege of each other’s touch. 

**~*~**

Trevor and Adrian rejoined Hector and Sypha in the center of the vaults. Trevor noticed Lisa Marie was awake while Laurent wasn’t. He picked her up and sat on the sofa. He rubbed her back and kissed her head, Adrian standing with his back leaned against the crib. 

“Now that my  _ transformation _ is out of the way,” Trevor said, “we need to figure out what to do next.”

“Agreed. What happened before you confronted the werewolf?” Adrian asked. 

Hector nodded. “I forged a hellion hound to follow the “scent” of the curse. It was able to detect where it was strongest, which was an underground passageway hidden by rocks and foliage. We ventured down, followed the halls to a room that glowed red. It had a forging table and a mirror. It was no doubt a place Issac used to work, that was his hammer on the table. I’d recognize it anywhere, he had a saying etched in hieroglyphics on the side. 

“Before I could inspect further, the werewolf attacked,” Hector continued. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Issac forged that werewolf to lie in wait for anyone trying to enter his hideaway.”

“It was hidden. How would he have known someone was coming? Or was it just precaution?” Sypha added, her tone curious. 

“Ordinary folk wouldn’t seek that place out. It was a bit  _ too _ hidden for that,” Trevor said. 

“You say he had a mirror, Hector?” Adrian asked. Hector nodded. 

“He did. Right beside the worktable," he said.

“He could have used it to watch the outside world.”

“Could that mean he was watching us the whole time?” Sypha said. “He could’ve set up the trap because he knew we were coming…”

“Shit…” Trevor cursed. “If he was watching us, where could he be now?”

“If he is working to resurrect Dracula…” Hector thought aloud. “Could it be that he needs to be where the soul left the body in order for it to be successful?”

“Yes, that may be…” Adrian said. He paused, terror in his eyes. He looked to Trevor, and they stared at each other with panicked gazes. “But that would mean--!”

Trevor swallowed, his newly formed fang causing his lip to bleed once again.  _ “Fuck.” _


	13. Miracle Children

Adrian tugged at his hair. His eyes darted between the children, his son in the crib and his daughter in Trevor’s arms. He swallowed and went to touch the sword at his hip, only to remember it was on the other side of the room. He marched off to retrieve it. Once nestled at his side, he eased a bit, coming to stand again beside the mirror. 

“I’ve been watching the castle through the mirror,” he said. “No one has come anywhere near here. If Issac plans to come here, he’s not yet arrived.”

“We need to prepare. There’s nothing saying he won’t anticipate us being here and attack both keeps at once.”

Hector clenched his fists. “He must’ve been able to watch us through me.”

“Is there a way to prevent someone from stalking you like that?” Sypha asked, turning her head to Adrian. 

“There is a potion one can drink,” Adrian said with a nod. “We should do that as a precaution before we continue to strategize.”

“Alright. Sypha and I will make rounds around the Belmont vault, then scout the above ground to note places they may target first,” Trevor said. He went to grab Morning Star, but Adrian wrapped his hand around his wrist before he could do so. Trevor turned and Adrian shook his head. 

“No, Trevor. That whip’s silver. It will burn you alive,” he said. 

“Damn. But aren’t I technically dead already? So what would it be? Burning me  _ dead?” _ Trevor said, laughing at himself. Adrian rolled his eyes. 

“That has to be one of your worst attempts at a joke I’ve ever heard. And, trust me, I’ve gotten my fill.”

**~*~**

Hector sat on the sofa while Adrian mixed ingredients at a table on the other side of the room. Once finished, he walked back with a bottle in hand, a violet liquid within. He handed it to Hector and sat beside him. 

“Here,” Adrian said, “drink this and let it settle. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” Hector said. He knocked the bottle back, trying not to focus on the bitter, bizarre taste of the mixture. He set the bottle to the side and sighed. 

“I took some as a precaution as well...I’ll have Trevor and Sypha do the same.”

“What about your children?”

“I placed protective spells on them long ago. They take after me, and have abilities they don’t understand. I learned the hard way.”

Hector furrowed his brow. “May I ask what happened?”

Adrian shrugged, gesturing to the crib. “My son was just a newborn when he started exhibiting abilities. I went to check on him one night and the bassinet was empty. Trevor and I panicked, and we tore through the castle. He had transported himself here to the vaults, not understanding he could. I did the same as a newborn as well. So, after that, I placed protection spells on my children, not only to shield them from themselves, but forces from the outside they may be sensitive to.”

“Your children’s vampiric blood isn’t the ordinary sort…” 

“I know,” Adrian sighed. “They may even be more powerful than the typical dhampir, given who their grandfather is. I am more powerful in the vampiric sense than fledgling vampires, such as Trevor now, though I have less vampiric blood than he does, for example.”

Hector bit his lip. He sighed. “I’m honestly shocked Trevor asked for such a thing…”

“You’re not the only one…”

“If you hadn’t contacted us at the time you did, he would’ve died. Honestly, I don’t blame him. He didn’t deserve that. You know, if Rosaly had a corpse I would’ve been tempted to…”

“I understand. I tried to reason with the unreasonable when my mother died.” Adrian paused and shook his head. “It’s hard to believe it was just less than five years ago she passed.”

“Why do humans do the things they do, Alucard?” Hector frowned, lost in his own musings. “Burn innocent people over silly things…”

“I’ll never be able to properly answer that as long as I live. Yet, I can’t say why vampires do the things they do either, and I’m stuck in the middle of both.”

Hector stared at the crib. He wondered if he and Rosaly would’ve ever reached the stage of having children of their own. A quick image of what they may have looked like shot through the back of his mind. He shook it away. 

“It’s not safe for the children here,” he said. “If Issac comes for this place, it will be with a hoard in tow.”

“I know…” Adrian frowned. “I don’t know where to take them. I’ve been trying to think of a solution for a while now... I feel as though we’ll need all the power we can get in order to face him. That means I need to step in, though I loathe to leave them...I hate the idea of something trying to hurt them more.”

“I can stay in the vaults and protect them,” Hector offered. “I must be the weakest link in this group, fighting wise. You, Trevor, and Sypha would be better able to fight out of the four of us. Of course, I will create demons to assist you.”

“No, Hector, but I appreciate the offer. None of us want Dracula coming back, of course, but this is  _ your _ fight for vengeance. I’m not one to advocate extremes, but Issac murdered your lover. It would be wrong for me to burden you with looking after my children when the opportunity to pursue a family yourself was stolen from you.”

“I appreciate your understanding…it would give me great satisfaction to see his demise firsthand.”

“I think all four of us will need to face him.”

“What of the children, then?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll speak with Trevor when he returns.”

**~*~**

Trevor sat on the ruins of the Belmont fountain, his lit lantern in hand. He frowned, realizing he would no longer be able to wander the forests in the early morning as he did when he was a child. Life seemed to bring forth brutal challenges to him, yet he didn’t know why. Some people live to be elderly without much hardship, yet he and Adrian…

He scanned the area after doing a walk around the castle. His mind wandered into the woods, into branches upon branches of intertwined situations and ideas. He sometimes wondered why he asked Adrian, what was going through his mind when he asked Adrian to do the deed. Then, a flashback at random came to him:

_ “Look at him, Trevor,” Adrian said through tears. “Look at our son. Our miracle son.” _

_ Trevor nodded, his arms wrapped around Adrian’s trembling body. He stared at the newborn on Adrian’s chest, no more than ten minutes old and still crying off and on. He wiped his eyes before they got too misty, but he soon realized it didn’t matter. He was near sobbing before Adrian was, though he wasn’t sure if he would admit it. Adrian hadn’t stopped his tears since the baby was born, it was just an ebb and flow of intensity.  _

_ “He’s beautiful, Adrian,” Trevor said with a smile.  _

The image came to a halt when a hand touched his shoulder. Trevor turned and saw Sypha standing over him. She sat on the fountain, setting her lantern beside her. 

“What are you thinking about?” she asked. 

“Nothing,” Trevor shrugged. 

“That’s a lie.” 

“I know.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Trevor sighed. “I was just thinking about when Laurent was born.”

“He was a beautiful newborn. Most newborns are a bit rough around the edges when they’re born, and that’s cute in its own way. But, Laurent and Lisa Marie, they were born with Adrian’s flawless complexion.” 

“Yeah. I just think about that...like the first minutes after they were born. The way Adrian acted, I can’t say there’s any other time I’ve seen that side of him. I can’t even describe it...but I  _ feel _ it, even to this day, it’s surreal as hell. Sometimes I wonder why I asked Adrian to turn me. Then I see Adrian clutching those newly-born babies to his chest and sobbing. Then I understand: I must’ve been thinking of those moments when I was two steps from death. Those moments alone are enough for me to sacrifice everything to keep my family together. I’m too stupid with words to even explain why, but I just see it and it’s enough.”

“I can’t say I understand what that feels like, but I understand you’re reasoning.”

“Adrian calls them _ miracle children _ . He said it right after they were born, and he’ll say it again every once in a while. I’ve never asked him why, but I honestly don’t get it. I mean, hell yeah, I think so too, but he was raised by intellectuals, those who studied science. I didn’t think miracles was in their repertoire.”

Sypha stared into the distance. She shrugged. “Perhaps he’s sees a miracle different than you do.”

Trevor glanced to her, his brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“He might see it as a wonder how he got to the point of having children in the first place. Think about it: he’s the son of Dracula. His parents died, he was left alone. He thought of himself as having cursed blood. When we left him in that carriage, he said he’d make that castle his grave. Now he’s married and with two children. Is that sort of turnaround not a miracle?”

Trevor stiffened. He bit his lip and it bled. “Sypha, I never told you what happened when I came back here to check on him those few years ago, did I?”

“What?” Sypha asked, her head tilted. 

“When I came back for a visit, I caught him in the middle of a suicide attempt. He was trying to find a way to poison himself, but with his blood being so powerful, he was having difficulties finding something that worked. I found him like that and forced him to work through his issues. When he said he was going to make that castle his grave, he really fucking meant it.”

“What?!” she exclaimed. “Oh, Trevor, I had no idea...I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s okay. He’s better now.” Trevor gestured to himself. “This asshole right here will keep him in check for eternity.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve thought about what would happen once I got old and died, with Adrian never aging a damn day. I mean, it would be kind of weird being an old, cranky bastard walking around with a hot husband, but beyond that...Adrian is vulnerable as hell. He’s found someone that understands him. Someone that knows how to deal with his struggles and support him. I’ve been nervous that, if he ever lost that, if ever lost  _ me, _ he’d spiral out of control. He’s strong and vigorous, yes, but if he thinks he’s at risk of losing something, or really does, he breaks down.”

Sypha nodded. “So you’ll be there for him…”

“For-fucking-ever. It’ll be the wild ride I can never get off of. Not that I’d want to.”

**~*~**

The group joined each other again in the vaults. Adrian sat on the sofa, feeding Lisa Marie a bottle while Laurent sat beside him, a strawberry in his mouth. When Trevor entered, Adrian looked up at him. 

“The children can’t say here,” Adrian said. “Hector and I spoke about it, we agree that it’s likely Issac will try to break into the vaults once he arrives.”

“Where do we send them? Who goes with them?” Trevor asked. 

“I don’t know… that’s what I’m struggling to answer.”

Sypha glanced to the mirror. “Adrian, how exactly did you find Trevor using that mirror?”

“I used a spell that tracks a person using their DNA,” Adrian said. “For Trevor, I used a piece of his hair and was able to open a portal to him.”

“Where did you get a piece of my hair?” Trevor interjected. Adrian rolled his eyes. 

“From all over your pillow, asshole,” he chided playfully. “You know, I think I may have found one or two gray ones along the way…”

“You fucking didn’t.” Trevor gawked, pawing at his head. Adrian laughed. 

“No. But I like to see the rise out of you at the mere thought of it.”

“Papa...asshole?” Laurent babbled, looking to Trevor with a curious stare, the strawberry still in his hand. Trevor chuckled. 

“No, your daddy is.”

Adrian cringed and clenched his fists. “Trevor, don’t egg him on!” he exclaimed with a huff. He turned to his son. “Honey,  _ don’t _ say that!”

Sypha raised her finger as if an epiphany came to her. “Adrian, I think I can contact my grandfather using your mirror.”

“Oh?” Adrian asked, his interested piqued. Sypha nodded. 

“Yes. I have a few strands of hair of his in the locket he gave me.”

“That’s not creepy at all,” Trevor said, sarcasm in his tone. Adrian sighed and shook his head. 

“What do you plan to do once you contact him?”

“Speakers believe carrying a piece of someone is a powerful way to keep their energy with you, whether they or dead or alive. The best way to trade it is through a few strands of hair. I can contact him, and he and the caravan can look after the children while we fight Issac off. That way they’re somewhere say with people to look after them.”

Adrian bit his lip. “Sypha, we can’t ask your caravan to take on such a burden.”

Sypha shook her head with a giggle. “No, Adrian. Children are a privilege and blessing to look after, not a burden. The Speakers getting to take care of the sleeping soldier’s children? The kids  _ will  _ be fawned over, trust me.”

“I don’t have any other options…”

“Show me how to perform the spell and I’ll speak to him about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are preparing for battle! :0
> 
> Thank you for all the support, comments, and kudos this fic has gotten I really appreciate it! :)


	14. Begin

Adrian crouched in front of his son in the middle of a Speaker tent. Sypha was able to contact her grandfather, and the caravan was more than happy to accommodate the children. Now there was no time to waste. Issac was sure to be approaching the castle, and the children were better off far, far away. Hector was on the other side of the portal crafting hellions to aid them. 

Trevor crouched beside Adrian so they were both facing Laurent. The little boy looked confused and terrified, Sypha’s Grandfather off to the side with a sympathetic look. Adrian put down a few baskets he had packed for the children with assorted things: clothing, toys, blankets, food, anything he could shove into the small space that he thought could comfort them. They had already said their goodbyes to their daughter, and given her age, was less keen on what was going on. Their son was a different story. 

Laurent stared at them. “Daddy…” he mumbled. 

“Daddy has to go bye-bye for a little while,” Adrian said, trying to keep his composure. “Be good for the Speakers alright? I’ll come back for you.”

“Papa?”

Trevor sighed. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “I have to go too, kiddo. We’ll come back.”

“N-No…” Laurent mumbled, tears on his cheeks. He sniffled. 

“I’m sorry, Laurent. I really am.” Trevor frowned. He kissed him on the head. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”

“Scared…”

Adrian clenched his teeth and fists at the same time. He tugged at one of the baskets and opened it. “Here, honey. Look at all the toys Daddy packed you.”

The boy shook his head and began to sob. Adrian couldn’t stand it. He grabbed Laurent and pulled him into an embrace, and the child cried into his coat. One gloved hand patted the back of his head in an effort to soothe him. When Laurent cried out his name in choked sobs, he lost his willpower. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he clung to his son as much as his son clung to him. Trevor touched Adrian’s shoulder. 

“Adrian, we need to go,” he said quietly, his tone more patient than usual. 

“He-He’s crying...I can’t leave him crying…” Adrian mumbled, rocking the boy in his arms. Trevor sighed softly. 

“We don’t have time. We need to prepare for what’s coming. He’ll be well taken care of here.”

“B-But…Trevor…”

“Adrian, let go. He’ll be fine,” Trevor said, his voice still patient. He tugged on Adrian’s arm. Adrian refused to let go, but didn’t fight Trevor’s pushing and pulling. His arms eventually unwrapped from the child and Trevor yanked Adrian off the ground. Upon standing, Adrian panicked at seeing his son still crying and tried to fight Trevor’s grip to get back to him. Trevor grunted and pushed him toward the entrance of the portal. 

“N-No, Trevor, stop! Let go me!” Adrian huffed. 

“We need to go, Adrian,” Trevor said. “It’ll be fine.” He shoved Adrian through the portal and turned around to Sypha’s Grandfather. He gave him a _thank you_, and the elder nodded back to him with a gentle, reassuring smile. He stepped to the little boy and crouched on his knees to speak to him as Trevor went through the portal and closed it. 

Adrian’s breath hitched as he gripped the sides of the mirror, his reflection staring back him. Sypha walked up to them from where she was reading a book. She frowned. 

“Is everything okay?” she asked quietly. 

“He’s freaking out,” Trevor said with a sigh. “He’s a Mama Bird, he clings to the kids just as much as they cling to him. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy for him.”

“T-They’ve never spent a day without me, Trevor…” Adrian mumbled, lost in his own head. “I-I’ve always been there for them...since before they were born…”

“I know, baby. You still are.”

Sypha sighed, a sympathetic look in her eyes. She pointed to Hector across the room. “He’s making good progress creating creatures to help us,” she said to Trevor. 

“Let’s just give Adrian a minute,” he said, gesturing her to follow him over to Hector’s work-space. When they arrived, Trevor startled at the amount of beady, red eyes that stared at him from the dark alleyway between the bookshelves. 

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “What are those things?”

“They’re hounds from hell, to put it simply,” Hector said, his hammer banging at the table. 

“How many?”

“Oh, I’d say almost two dozen by now,” he said with a shrug. 

Trevor gawked. “You made those pretty damn quick…”

“I’ve found myself angry today. Working while angry yields quicker results.”

“No kidding.”

Hector turned around, the hammer glowing red in his hands. Determination lit flames in his eyes. “I’m tired of Issac and his nonsense tearing people apart. He keeps fucking with people’s lives and I’m sick of it. First my fiance and I, then you bleeding out, then the children having to get sent away. Not to mention all the townsfolk getting ill and acting off the wall because of the stench underneath the surface. It ends now. I don’t care if I have to drag him to hell with me.”

Trevor stared at him with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. “I’ve never seen the humble Hector this pissed before. I like it.”

“Aren’t you?”

“I’ve been pissed since the first day I met you, when the words  _ resurrect Dracula  _ came out of your mouth.”

Hector put the hammer on the table. “Do you trust me more now?”

“Yes. You’ve proven your worth. Not to mention, you saved my family's heirloom from getting lost. I can’t touch Morning Star anymore, but it will be passed down to my son. So thank you.”

“It’s not a problem. Give me permission to let loose, Trevor.”

Trevor laughed. “I’m not your keeper. You go right ahead, Hector. If there’s anyone I want to see go fucking berserk, it’s you.”

“Thank you.”

**~*~**

A few hours passed. Adrian sat on the sofa with his arms wrapped around his chest. He shifted his gaze between the floor and the family portraits on the far wall. He stared at his wedding portrait with Trevor, then to the family portrait they had done just a few months prior. He let his hair cover his face as he brooded. Trevor leaned against a bookshelf and switched his gaze between the mirror overlooking the castle grounds and Adrian. Sypha stood beside him. He sighed. 

“He’s so sulky,” Trevor whispered to her. “What do I do?”

“Just leave him be,” she whispered back. “You might make him more upset if you try to talk to him about the kids.”

“You’re right.” 

Hector finished his forgemastering with blistered hands, despite the thick gloves he wore. He peered into the rows of bookshelves to see his army waiting for his command. He smiled in triumph for a moment before turning away. He sat beside Adrian and dug a piece of jewelry out of his pocket. Adrian glanced up at him. 

A silver chain with a ring snaked through the middle dangled in between them. “I found this in one of the crevices in the wall. Well, one of my hounds was pawing at the crack, and when I went to see what it was, I found this. I know what it is. It belongs with you,” Hector said. 

Adrian’s eyes widened as he took the chain and ring from Hector’s hands. “Thank you. I grabbed it and put it around my neck in order to keep it safe when we moved things from the castle to the vaults. I think Lisa Marie yanked at it while I was holding her and the chained snapped. It bounced away and I tried looking for it, but never found it. I’m not sure why I guard it so…”

“Because it belonged to Vlad.”

Adrian stared at him in shock. Truth be told, he hadn’t heard his father’s first name spoken in years. “I-If he comes back, I don’t know what kind of person he’ll be.”

“What do you mean?” 

“He was different in the end, Hector,” Adrian said, swallowing the lump in his throat. “He came back to his senses. He _ let  _ me stake him. Trevor beheaded him and Sypha burned the remains. His wedding ring was the only thing that was left. I just wonder: will he come back the maniac or the man?”

“That’s an interesting prospect,” Hector said, shaking his head. “Vlad and Dracula are two different beings, it feels like.”

“You’re the first person to tell me that besides Trevor, and it took him a long time to see what I saw. You know how he was firsthand. You were friends with him. I’m glad at least one person understands. Trevor didn’t know Vlad, I don’t think he quite grasps it, though he’s read through his journals and notes. But you, you  _ know. _ And I appreciate that. Thank you.”

Before Hector could respond, Sypha and Trevor rushed up to them. Trevor had a leather whip wrapped around his wrist. “There are hellion hoards coming through the woods. We think he’s here," he said.

Hector and Adrian stood with a nod. 

“Let’s go,” Hector said. 

**~*~**

They reached the top of the vaults. Before Sypha opened the door, Adrian grabbed Trevor’s wrist. 

“Trevor, it’s early morning. You can’t go out there,” he said. 

Trevor huffed. “What the fuck? What am I supposed to do, then?”

“We go with the secondary plan, the one we made  _ if it were daylight _ when the attack takes place,” Adrian stressed, a bit miffed Trevor seemed to not remember. “You will stand in the entrance hall of the castle on guard. There’s bound to be something or someone that tries to get through the front. If I see Issac, I will try to corner him into retreating through the front so we can box him in. No guarantees, but be on the lookout.”

“Yeah, that’s all fine and well, but how do I get there from here  _ if I can’t go outside?” _

Adrian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Trevor, you’re a fucking vampire, you have _ abilities _ .”

“That’s news to me, I haven’t done anything freaky yet.”

“Excuse us,” Adrian said to Hector and Sypha. He grabbed his husband’s hand. In an instance, they were in the entrance hall. Trevor gawked and shook his head front side to side. 

“How the--What the fuck?” he said. “How did that happen?”

“I’ll train you in your abilities some other time,” Adrian mumbled. He kissed Trevor’s cheek. “Stay safe. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Adrian appeared back at the front of the Belmont vaults. He looked to Sypha and Hector and shook his head. Sypha chuckled. 

They turned to the entrance, Adrian in the front with Hector and Sypha behind him. Adrian and Hector put their hands on the hilts of their swords as Sypha raised her hands to ready a magic spell. Adrian exhaled, his eyes still irritated from his earlier upset. He thought about his children, which were now on the other side of Wallachia, and his blood began to boil. He turned his head to Hector. 

“Hector, I’m angry and bitter today. Are you?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Hector said with a nod. 

“We’ll make a good team then.”

Footsteps sounded outside the door, Adrian unsheathed his sword, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed. Hector followed, Sypha igniting a flame in her hands. 

“We work together to find Issac. Sypha burns them to hell, Hector shreds them, and I annihilate them. Hellions will take the stragglers.”

“Yes,” Hector said again. 

The doors were pushed open. Sypha increased the intensity of her flames. Adrian lifted his sword, the blade reflecting the light of the early morning sun. He said one final thing before charging out into the unknown. 

“Let’s begin.”

**~*~**

Trevor shifted on his feet in the entrance hall of the castle. He chewed on air, a bit bored and miffed at being left out of the action. He inspected the strong leather whip at his wrist, seeing the Belmont crest etched into the handle. He smiled, remembering the day Adrian presented it to him as a handmade gift. It had been before they married. Trevor nearly ruined the surprise with a  _ situation _ at the groin, but it all worked out in the end. He chuckled at the memory. 

Something rustled behind him. He turned around, and gazed at the floor ahead of him, ignoring the balcony above the two staircases. He sighed and turned back around. “Damn mice,” he mumbled to himself, returning his attention to the doors. 

More rustling happened, but he ignored it. The castle was empty, aside from  _ critters  _ that may have been there a while. Trevor went on animal and insect patrol often, but there were always those that got in a place this large unnoticed. With the castle warded from the outside, nothing could get in without force. He was sure Issac new all about warding, and would break the seal easily. Trevor readied his stance at the thought, then slacked off when a few minutes passed in silence. 

Noise echoed behind him similar to that of boot clicks. Trevor startled, but before he could move, a voice cut through the hall. 

_ “Belmont.” _

Trevor stiffened, his grip on his weapon tightening. He turned around to see his father-in-law standing at the head of the balcony overlooking the entrance hall. 

“Oh  _ fuck.” _


	15. Revenge

It was chaos on the castle grounds. Hellions tore each other’s throats. Sypha burned creature after creature in an attempt to clear the hoards away with Hector and Adrian slashed their way through in search of Issac. Hector wiped grim and sweat from his brow as he cut down another hound. He recognized a figure headed toward the front. He called out to Adrian. 

“He’s over there!” Hector yelled through the noise. “Headed for the front entrance.”

Adrian nodded as they pursued him. Hector rushed in a charge, realizing Adrian had disappeared. He faltered a bit, but picked up his pace again when he appeared in front of Issac. Hector halted behind him. Issac put up his hands as he chuckled. Two hounds at each side of him growled, waiting for Issac’s command. Two balls of flame hit each in the head and disintegrated them. Hector turned around and made contact with Sypha. She nodded and turned her attention back to the straggling demons they had not finished off. 

“Enough, Issac,” Hector said. “Stop the fucking nonsense.”

“You should now better than anyone humans don’t deserve the  _ Earth,” _ Issac said, his words smooth. He addressed Hector, but his eyes remained trained on Adrian. 

“I see the world different now than I did then.”

“What of it? You are human just like them.”

“So are you. What makes you any different?”

Issac laughed again. “You mistaken my intentions, good Hector. I am no different. I have been called a greater purpose. I will destroy everyone, he will destroy everyone. Then, in one final swipe of glory, he will destroy me.”

“You’re a monster.”

“Oh, no. You brought the monster.”

Adrian and Hector made eye-contact and nodded to each other. Adrian swung his blade at Issac, which he promptly parried with his own blade. Hector took a dart from his pocket and aimed at his back. Adrian saw it and disappeared. The dart swiped Issac’s upper arm as he dashed out of the way. It wedged into the small crevice in between the double doors of the entrance hall. 

Hector swiped his sword at him as they exchanged trades back and forth. 

“Why did you do it?” Hector yelled through the chaos. “Why did you murder my fiance?”

“I didn’t do anything, Hector,” Issac retorted, exchanging another trade of blade clashes. “She was a witch. The church decided she needed to die.”

“You know that’s a fucking lie. A lie you created!”

“What does it matter? We will all meet our end eventually.”

“It was unjust and uncalled for. You know that.”

“There are no innocents anymore, Hector.”

Adrian appeared at Issac’s side, ready to swipe him by surprise. Before he could finish his swing, Issac anticipated it and took a whip from his belt. He tossed it out with one hand. It was a short distance, but despite that, was powerful enough to take Adrian off guard. It slammed into his chest and sent him backward, his spine colliding with the double doors of the entrance hall. The collision caused the heavy doors to buckle a bit as Adrian lifted his throbbing head. He faltered as he worked to regained his footing. 

“I was inspired to learn the craft of whip wielding by a famous Belmont,” Issac taunted. “It’s curious to see he’s not here.”

“Nevermind him. This fight here is between you and I,” Hector spat back. He yearned to finish it, to finish him, right at that moment. He didn’t care if someone else did all the damage, if he could land the final blow, he would be satisfied. 

“I don’t play nice, Hector.” 

“So be it.”

**~*~**

Trevor stood at his spot in the entrance hall, his body completely stunned. Dracula was at the top of the balcony as if a day hadn’t passed without him. He was dressed the same, carried the same intimidating and powerful demeanor, and spoke in the same tone of voice. Trevor shook his head. 

Dracula walked down the steps, one elongated and poised arm running along the railing. Trevor turned to the door, hoping someone would come give him some backup, but the hope was futile. Dracula came to stand a few paces from him, towering overhead with a stoic expression. Trevor didn’t know what to do, so he did what Belmonts did whenever they saw the King of Vampires. 

He threw a whip at him. 

The whip hit Dracula in the chest, and he didn’t so much a flinch or change expression. He caught it and flung it away as if it were lint on his shoulder. The force of the throw caused the handle to fly from Trevor’s hand and smack into the wall across the room. 

“Your whip is as good as thread, Belmont,” Dracula said, his voice monotone. “You should’ve used silver.”

Trevor stayed silent. Dracula lifted his brow, his eyes looking Trevor up and down. He squinted his eyes at the shorter man. 

“My son turned you,” he said. Trevor refused to speak. Dracula sighed. 

“I’m not any more amused to see you as you are to see me,” he continued. “I was perfectly content with where I was.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Trevor finally said. 

“It means,  _ Belmont _ , that I didn’t want to be resurrected. Issac has disillusions about being able to use me for his intentions. He should’ve learned by now that I follow no one’s ideals but my own.”

“But your ideals match.”

“No, not anymore.”

Trevor huffed. “If you want to kill me, you have every chance to right now.”

Dracula chuckled. “Why would I do that? It would make Adrian very upset.”

“Since when do you care about his feelings?”

“Since the day he was _ born _ , of course. Long before infatuations with a little  _ Belmont  _ filled his head,” Dracula replied, his tone stern. “You think you know my son better than me?”

“I know him better than anyone.”

“Anyone  _ alive,” _ Dracula chided. “It doesn’t matter. You make him happy. So be it.”

Trevor shook his head, confused by the scene before him. “Who the hell are you?”

“Vlad Dracula Ţepeş. Who else, Trevor Belmont, the Belmont family vampire?”

Trevor grunted and crossed his arms. He didn’t understand what was going on, but it was frustrating him. This wasn’t how an exchange with Dracula was supposed to be. He wasn’t sure where they were going with this, but it caused a spike of discomfort to sprout in his chest. With his weapons useless, there wasn’t much else to do. Yet, Dracula seemed calm for the most part, just a bit miffed for whatever reason. 

“I don’t understand what’s going on…” Trevor said.

Dracula shrugged. “Issac resurrected me. I was content with my death, I’ve been watching over my son with Lisa this entire time...That was until Issac pursued the resurrection process, and I was put into a state of limbo that felt like a long sleep.”

“What’s the last thing you remember seeing?”

“You and Adrian wrapping gifts a few days before your son’s first birthday.”

“That was a little over six months ago.”

“I see.”

There was silence between them. Trevor swallowed and shifted his feet and Dracula gazed around the room. It was a bit awkward and still, but Trevor was a bit too intimidated to move from his spot. 

“What do you plan to do now?” he asked. 

Dracula walked across the room and picked up Trevor’s whip. He wrapped it in a coil and handed it back to him. Trevor took it with a bit of caution, wrapping it around his wrist. 

“I’ll kill Issac,” Dracula said. “After that, I’ll likely find a way to return to my rest.”

“Holy shit…”

Something hit the double doors and buckled them. Trevor stiffened. Though the doors buckled, the iron was too thick to hear what was going on outside. Dracula grabbed Trevor’s shoulder and yanked him back. 

“I will open the doors. The sunlight can’t reach us on the balcony. We’ll wait to see what comes through,” Dracula commanded. Trevor stiffened and turned, rushing up the stairs. Dracula followed, poised and collected. The doors opened and they waited. 

**~*~**

Adrian leaned one hand against the double doors and regained his breath. If he were being honest with himself, his fighting ability wasn’t what it was the last time he fought in a battle. It had been over three years and two children since then. He kept training with his sword when he could, but it wasn’t a top priority. He watched Hector and Issac fight as he searched for the next move he could make. 

He stumbled when the door he was leaning on opened. Adrian sighed with relief and slipped into the dimness of the entrance hall, hoping Hector was keeping Issac preoccupied enough not to notice where Adrian went. 

The room was cool and away from the sunlight. Adrian brushed back his knotted hair and backed down the entrance hall while still facing the doors. His sword was poised in front of him, his hand on the hilt. He backed out of the streams of sunlight, expecting Trevor to meet his side. He never did. Adrian panicked and turned around in search of him. 

What he saw caused his knees to buckle. 

“F-Father…” he said, his voice strained. 

Dracula gazed down at him. “Son.”

“T-Trevor…”

Trevor swallowed. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything, his mind completely blank at seeing the expression on Adrian’s face. Trevor instead tried to train his eyes on the open front doors. 

“Step aside, Adrian,” Dracula said, his voice monotone. “I’m not here to fight you.”

“Why are you here, then?” Adrian managed to say, his voice weak. 

“I will end Issac. I already told your husband I was perfectly content with where I was before being brought back here.”

Adrian and Trevor made eye-contact. After a moment, Adrian turned his head toward the wall with a small blush on his cheeks. Footsteps sounded at the entrance. Issac entered, side-stepping an icicle that flew in his direction. Hector and Sypha followed. The doors shut once they were in. 

Issac turned, his eyes reflecting triumph at seeing Dracula on the balcony. Dracula’s face was stoic as he jumped from the balcony and landed right in front of him. Issac stared up at the towering figure with awe. 

“Master, you have come back!” he said. “Join me in finishing what you started.”

“No. I already ended what I started over three years ago,” Dracula responded. 

“What?”

“Don’t be a fool, Issac. I  _ let _ myself die. I wanted it. I had already endured a mental death when Lisa died. I just needed the physical to accompany it. What mind I had was replaced by blind rage. I know what causes your blind rage, the abuses of priests and  _ others,  _ tr ying to avenge me from my own decision. Perhaps it’s time you be delivered from the trauma.”

“I will be delivered if you join me in this wiping out these vermin,” Issac insisted. 

“When it comes down to it, you  _ want  _ to die. You just want to drag everyone with you.”

There was silence in the room. Trevor ran down the staircase and to Adrian’s side. Adrian moved his free hand to grip Trevor’s bicep, the other hand holding the sword at his side. Issac narrowed his gaze at the figure towering over him as everyone watched. Sypha looked to Adrian with a shake of her head and wide eyes, as if she were asking,  _ when do we attack? _ Adrian shook his head back, signalling her to wait. Hector stood in awe, sweat beading down his neck. 

“You said it yourself, humans don’t deserve the Earth,” Issac finally said. 

Dracula shrugged. “Perhaps it’s true. Perhaps it’s not. All I know is that it’s not in my interest to decide anymore. I suppose you thought I was the same in death as you knew me in life. That is not the case.”

“Fine. I’ll just destroy you t--”

He never was able to finish his sentence. With a swipe of a clawed hand, his voice was silenced. Blood escaped the open wounds of Issac’s next as he pawed at them with desperation. Dracula stepped back and made eye contact with Hector. 

“Finish it, Hector,” he said. “Avenge your lover.”

Hector faltered, his sword still in hand. So many memories and thoughts rushed through his mind at a dizzying speed, and the surreal nature of the situation didn’t do much to help it. He could end it, he could end it all at that very moment and see this saga of struggling come to a close. Hector had been fighting back for years, the subject he was against merely shifted from concept to concept and person to person. Yet, this had been the most egregious of them all. When he had finally found happiness, it was snatched away. 

He was jealous of Adrian and Trevor. Jealous of their marriage, of the way they supported each other, their children. Seeing that Adrian, the son of Dracula, could have two biological children with Trevor Belmont, the last Belmont, was astonishing. The envy he felt couldn’t be described. Despite that, he had never harbored any negative feelings for them. It was because of Issac he couldn’t live the life he wanted. All the emotions and struggling, the bleeding man before him was the source. 

These thoughts rushed through him. He wondered if Rosaly would’ve wanted him to avenge her in such a way. Part of him thought not. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t there to tell him otherwise. And that made him so much more furious. 

In a moment of quick movements, Hector’s sword was plunged into Issac’s chest. He couldn’t recall the exact moment it took place, but it didn’t make a difference. It was over. His revenge had been fulfilled. 

The corpse fell off his blade and onto the floor when he allowed it to. Dracula stared at the body, his expression never changing. His eyes then shifted to Adrian. He walked back towards the staircases. 

“Adrian, may I have a word with you?” he said. 

Adrian stiffened. He looked to Trevor with terror in his eyes. Trevor shrugged and leaned in to his husband’s ear. 

“I think this is the Vlad you once knew, Adrian,” he whispered. “He could’ve killed us all by now, yet hasn’t.”

The sword at Adrian’s side was sheathed. He followed his father up the stairs and away for the first time in years. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twists and turns!! 
> 
> I decided to make Dracula act a bit different. He was redeemed in the end, so I thought if he came back, wouldn't he act different? It kind of reminded me of Darth Vader, he was redeemed and came to visit Luke as Force Ghost, proving his redemption. That was the sort of the inspiration of how I handled Dracula coming back. I'm not sure how the show will handle it, if they have Dracula come back at all. Hopefully, if they do, they'll be able to work the redemption they gave him into the plot so it makes sense. I'm not sure it would make much sense to ignore it. :/
> 
> Thank you for all the support and comments this fic has gotten! I really appreciate it, it's a huge motivator to keep working on creative ideas to take the plot. :)


	16. Home

Hector dropped his bloodied sword on the marble floor. He wiped the sweat from his beck and face, dirt and grime covering his skin. His back met the coolness of a column, his hands on his knees. The emotions swirling within him were indescribable, which he couldn’t comprehend. He had once thought he’d feel a certain way after he avenged Rosaly, but that was not the case. Nothing could prepare him for this moment. 

Despite that, he felt relief. 

Trevor walked over to him, standing at his side with his arms crossed. “Are you alright, Hector?” he asked. 

“I’m fine. I’m just glad it’s over,” he said. “Are you sure it’s okay for Alucard and Dracula to be alone?”

“Yeah. What would you say, was that Vlad or Dracula?”

“I’d say that was the Vlad I knew once long ago. I can’t believe he’s here…”

“Your revenge is complete. You should be damn proud.” 

Hector sighed. “I’m not sure that’s how I feel…”

“You might one day, you might not. But you’ve got to do one more thing for me now…”

“What’s that?”

“Get the corpse out of my house.”

They chuckled, the room’s atmosphere lightening a bit. Hector stood straight and leaned back against the column. He crossed his arms and took a deep breath. 

“Vlad’s back. He  _ made _ this place. I suppose it’s technically not your house anymore,” Hector said with a playful tone. Trevor grunted, his eyes reflecting the realization he’d come to. 

“Well shit.”

**~*~**

Adrian and Vlad walked down the hallway. Once they were far enough from the entrance hall, Vlad sinalled for them to stop. He turned so they were face to face. Adria stayed silent, unsure what to do or say to him, given it had been years since they had held a cordial conversation. The stillness prevailed. 

“Your mother loves you,” Vlad finally said, “and is proud of the life you’ve built for yourself.”

Adrian swallowed, pain rippling down his back. “How--”

“We’ve been watching over you, together, all this time. I’ve watched over others that I knew as well, mainly Hector and Issac. That’s how I knew Hector lost his fiance and Issac was planning to bring me back.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask what you think of my life now…” Adrian said, crossing his arms. 

Vlad shrugged. “I don’t mind it. It’s  _ your _ life, Adrian. It would be hypocritical of me to chastise you for marriage and children when I did the same.”

“I turned him.”

“I know. I anticipated it long ago, though I didn’t see it happen because of the resurrection process.”

Adrian sighed. “He asked me…Mother never wanted me to exercise that ability.”

“Sometimes you need to do what you think is best. He doesn’t seem too distant from the reality of his state. I thought you would eventually, given an opportunity. I could see that you would never ask him outright, and he wouldn’t ask you either. Yet, when a moment presented itself, you both would consent.”

“You could discern all of this from the other side?”

“Of course. I had plenty of time to watch you. And listen to Lisa fawn over your child or chastise me for my decisions...it’s been an eternity packed into a few years.”

Adrian chuckled. “That sounds like her.”

“Yes,” Vlad chuckled with him, “she hasn’t changed any.”

“I’ve missed her...and you.”

“I understand. But we’ve never been far.”

“What do you mean?” Adrian asked, his brows furrowed. 

“Those dreams that you had in the past, where we spoke, those weren’t simply conjured up by you. That was us speaking with you. It takes a lot more for Lisa to be able to contact you than me, given the differing abilities we had in life. But she spoke to you the night before your son was born.”

Tears bubbled in Adrian’s eyes. “I remember that. It was really her?”

“Yes,” Vlad nodded. 

“I have two children now…” Adrian sighed, blinking the tears away. 

“I know about your son, but I don’t know anything about your second child. The resurrection process put me into a state similar to sleep, and I couldn’t watch over you anymore.”

“That’s my daughter. Her name is Lisa Marie Belmont. She’s six months old.”

Vlad gave him a half smile and gazed down a him. Adrian blushed and turned away as he cleared his throat. 

“What do you plan to do now?” he asked his father. 

“I understand I left this world surrounded by negative energy. All the hellions forged, they were being resurrected along with me. Just because Issac is dead doesn’t mean the curse will cease. It would have if he failed to resurrect me, but that wasn’t the case. I will stay and reverse the energy to return the land to normal. I cannot be sure of how long it will take, but after, I’ll likely find a way to return to rest.”

“I’ve never known you to be one to look after the good of people.”

“You know me well,” Vlad said. “But I’ll do it for you, Adrian. You and your children.”

**~*~**

Adrian’s heart pounded in his head, Trevor at his side. It was now night, and they had climbed through the portal and to the Speaker encampment. Sypha followed them, and went to let her grandfather know they were there to get the children. Sypha told them they could wait in the front tent and the children would be brought to them, and Adrian almost argued. Trevor squeezing his hand caused him to refrain. 

Sypha returned, Lisa Marie on her hip and Laurent toddling beside her, his hand in hers. Adrian choked, relieved from the stress of being apart from his children. It had only been a little over a day, but it didn’t matter to him. He had never been apart from them, not even for a day. There was something about being the one to carry them before they were born that made him overly attached to his babies. It would likely be an issue as they got older, but for now, they were happy with his clinginess. Adrian quickly wiped a stray tear from his eye and sniffled.

Laurent smiled and ran to a crouched Trevor waiting for him with open arms. Adrian went to Lisa Marie, but Sypha stopped him. 

“She’s got something to show you, Adrian,” Sypha giggled, gesturing for Adrian to step back. Adrian furrowed his brows, impatient at being away from his daughter. Trevor hugged Laurent and attacked him with kisses, and the toddler twisted in his arms with glee. 

Sypha put the little girl on the ground. She pushed herself up and began taking wary, wobbling steps towards him. Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat and crouched down with open arms. She teetered and faltered a few times. 

“Go, Lisa! Go!” Laurent babbled, clapping his hands in excitement. She managed her way into Adrian’s arms. He hugged her and picked her up, snuggling her to his chest. 

“Oh, honey, Daddy’s so proud!” Adrian cooed, kissing her on the head. “Oh God, Trevor, she’s growing up too fast! They’re growing too fast!”

“Here we go…” Trevor mumbled. “Baby, neither of them are two yet.”

“She was just born yesterday! My hips still hurt from it…”

“She’s six months old, Adrian. Are you sure it wasn’t getting thrown against a wall today?”

Adrian pouted. “I made you a vampire, Trevor! That means we can’t have any more babies…”

Trevor reddened. “We don’t  _ need _ any more babies. What’s gotten into you?!”

Sypha chuckled. Trevor looked over at her with a small smile. “See? Total Mama Bird…” he said. “Having kids changed his brain, Sypha. The usual Adrian just flies out the window when he’s around them.”

“It’s just him missing them. He’s not used to being apart from them for more than a few hours,” she said.

“I know, but it’s going to be a long-ass night. Damn.”


	17. Poppy

Vlad stood in the library, flipping through an aged tome. He wasn’t particularly pleased with being dragged back to Earth, but it would serve its purpose. Knowing Lisa was waiting for him made it bearable, and he wouldn’t hear the end of it if he left without meeting the grandchildren. 

The door to the library opened. Adrian came in with his daughter and his hip and his son beside him, holding his hand. Trevor walked in behind him. Vlad stared at them. It was clear there was at least a small part of Trevor that didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t fault him for it. Yet, now with the Belmont being a vampire himself, things were different…

“Laurent, this is your grandfather,” Adrian finally said, breaking the silence. Vlad made eye contact with the boy. Trevor sighed and sat on the sofa, his arm stretched across the back. 

Adrian walked across the room with the children, the room silent. Trevor put a fist on his cheek and watched them, a pensive look in his eyes. 

“I think Grandfather would be too hard for him to say,” he mused aloud. “How about Grandpa? Grandpapa? Granddaddy?”

Adrian deadpanned, staring at his husband from across the room. Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

“Sometimes I wonder why I married him, Father…” Adrian whispered. 

“I do too, son,” Vlad whispered back. 

They chuckled. Laurent pointed at Vlad, a spark in his eyes. “Poppy!” he said with a smile. 

“I like that,” Vlad said to him, his voice soft. He gazed to the girl in Adrian’s arms. “She looks just like your mother.”

“I know,” Adrian sighed. “Sometimes it hurts to realize…”

“I understand. But do know her soul is at rest.”

“Thank you. It’ll definitely help me rest easier knowing that.”

**~*~**

It was night. Hector sat on the stairs leading to the entrance of the castle, his fist on his cheek. It had only been a day since the defeat of Issac, and with his mission complete, there was much on his mind. He mused about his life with Rosaly and his life now, not knowing what he would do in the future. He sighed, a breeze brushing against his face. He had to figure out somewhere to go, yet his mind drew blanks. 

One of the iron doors behind him opened. He startled and turned around, then settled when he saw it was Trevor. It was silent between them as Trevor sat beside him on the stairs. 

“Hey,” Trevor said. “I’ve been wondering where you were.”

“Just thinking…” Hector responded, his voice quiet. 

“It’s quiet around here now…”

“Sure is.”

Trevor crossed his arms. “What do you plan to do next, Hector?” he asked, breaking through the ice. Hector stiffened. 

“If I’m being honest, I have no idea.”

“Do you have a place to go back to?”

Hector swallowed and shook his head. “No. My home was burned to the ground with Rosaly. I’ve been nomadic ever since, searching for Issac. Now I must learn how to live again. Find an occupation, something to bid my time. The problem is, I have no idea where to start. Who am I? I don’t have a clue.”

“You can stay here until you find out.”

“What?!” Hector exclaimed, his eyes wide. Trevor shrugged. 

“Yeah, why not? The castle is fucking huge. You can pick a few rooms and hang around, and it’s possible we wouldn’t run into each other for days. There’s more than enough space.”

“Thank you, Trevor. That means more to me than you know,” Hector said, biting his lip. 

“It’s no problem. You saved Wallachia from something terrible. We wouldn’t have known about Issac if you hadn’t brought it to our attention. Just because Vlad’s calm now doesn’t mean shit couldn’t have gone wrong if we didn’t kill Issac sooner. Not to mention, you looked out for my kids. I appreciate that.”

“I couldn’t stand to see Issac hurt more people. He already got away with too much…”

“I know. But now we’ve got to deal with the aftermath,” Trevor grunted. “I’m sure as hell different now. And so are you.”

Hector nodded. “How are things with Vlad? I haven’t gotten to speak with him yet.”

“Things are tense between him and I, just from our backgrounds. It’ll ease up over time, I’m sure. He met the kids today and that went over pretty well.”

“I’m sure he could teach you much about vampirism.” 

Trevor’s eyes widened. He leaned back. “Sometimes I forget I’m a fucking vampire. You’re right, Hector. He could teach me more than my dumb ass could ever comprehend. Maybe it’s time to learn what I’m capable of.”

“Of course. It’s likely much more than you realize.”

“You’re the same. You’re more than capable. You’ve just got to find what to direct that capability towards.”

“Your words are kind. Thank you.”

**~*~**

A week passed. Vlad worked toward easing the curse on the land while Trevor, Adrian, Hector, and Sypha rested after the grueling work of finding and battling Issac. Sypha decided to stay and visit with the children before returning to her caravan. She also asked Adrian to use some of the magical tools in the lower levels in order to improve her healing magic, and Adrian didn’t hesitate to give her permission. Hector spent much of the day sleeping, the relief of ending a chapter of restless years causing his body to take its well deserved rest. Trevor asked Adrian to teach him the basics of vampirism, for he was too nervous to approach Vlad about anything. Adrian agreed, and they worked together on it when they weren’t taking care of their children. 

One day Adrian and Trevor sat in the library with the children. Vlad was on the other side of the room, standing at a shelf with a book in his hand. Laurent sat on the carpet and tried to stack blocks while Trevor held Lisa Marie on his lap. Laurent put a block on top of his stack and the whole thing tumbled. 

“Oh no…” he said with a pout. He dropped a block in his hand and it clinked with another right beside it. 

Before Trevor or Adrian could say anything, Vlad snapped his fingers, his back still turned to them. The blocks reassembled themselves. Laurent clapped with glee. Trevor and Adrian stared at each other, both realizing it wasn’t them that did it. 

**~*~**

Later that morning, Laurent scribbled on a blank sheet of paper as Lisa Marie played with the blocks herself. Adrian lifted his head from his book and smiled at his children, Trevor tinkering with a whip on the other side of the room. Vlad flipped through a book and scribbled notes in journal. 

Adrian closed his book and sat on the floor where his children were playing. He brushed his fingers over Lisa Marie’s light hair before turning his attention to his son. 

“Is that for me?” he asked, pointing to the page of scribbles. “Did you draw something for Daddy?”

Laurent looked at him. He smiled. “No.”

The smile was wiped off Adrian’s face in an instant. “Oh…” he sighed, his face disappointed. “Is it for Papa?”

“No,” he responded, shaking his head. “Poppy.”

“You drew that for Poppy?”

“Yeah!” 

Adrian frowned as Trevor and Vlad turned their attention to them. It was quiet for a moment, Laurent continuing his scribbles. Adrian pouted and crossed his arms loosely. 

“B-But you’ve never drawn anyone anything!” he exclaimed, hurt in his voice. “W-Why not Daddy? Daddy loves you more than anything!”

Trevor sighed with a sly smirk on his face. His eyes skirted to Vlad. “He’s going to pull every card in the book,” he said. 

Vlad nodded and returned Trevor’s expression. “Wait for it.”

“C-Come on, honey,” Adrian pleaded. “I gave  _ birth _ to you! Draw something for Daddy!”

“No,” Laurent said, shaking his head. 

“W-Why don’t you want to? I’ve always taken care of you since before you were born! Don’t you remember being warm and cozy in my belly?”

“No.”

Trevor and Vlad had to stifle their chuckles. Adrian sighed and clenched his fists, not hearing the amusement the others were getting from watching him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and stood, brushing his trousers. 

“You were easier to deal with then…” he mumbled under his breath. “W-Well Daddy is going to make lunch now…” he said louder, inching towards the door. “Maybe you’ll have a surprise for me when I get back…”

“Apple juice,” Laurent said with a giggle. “Strawberries….hmm...bread!”

Adrian sighed. “Of course, my dear.” He shut the door and left down the hall. 

Trevor broke out into a laugh as soon as the door closed. He wiped the edge of his eye and put the whip he was tinkering with around a hook on the wall. “I haven’t him that jealous in a long time.”

Vlad chuckled. “Lisa was the same way when Adrian was little, always clinging to him. She grew out of it when he was older, thankfully.”

“I get the feeling Adrian’s not going to grow out of it. He’ll be following them to town and shit when they’re teenagers.”

“He certainly will. Especially--”

“Lisa Marie,” Trevor said, finishing his sentence. He leaned his head back on the chair he was sitting in and groaned. “Damn, I’m in for it. At least that’s far off from now. She’s only six months old.”

“It’ll come faster than you think.” Vlad paused. “I think it’s time you learn how to handle your current state of being, Belmont.”

“I know a lot about what vampires can do but not how to do any of it. Belmonts aren’t supposed to be vampires, but I’ve always been a loose canon.”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. What you know is likely only the surface of what a vampire is capable of.”

“Really?” Trevor said, a bit of doubt in his voice. 

“You’ll see,” Vlad said, lifting a brow at him. “I will show you, but don’t test my patience.”

Trevor swallowed the intimidation in his throat. “A-Alright…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll likely write a few more chapters and an epilogue to this story, just to wrap up the what happens to characters after the curse is lifted! :)
> 
> Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos. I really appreciate it. <3


	18. Peace and Quiet

It was early evening in the castle. To Adrian and his entire family, it was the beginning of the day. The children had always preferred being awake at night and sleeping during the day, but Trevor had been a morning person. With Trevor’s change of state, it was best for everyone to be awake during the night and sleep during the day. 

Adrian put Lisa Marie on the changing table and began to dress her. He smiled as he put her in a black and gold dress with a gold headband adorned with a fabric flower. As he shifted her to fit in the clothing, he checked on his son playing with toys on the floor. Adrian had already dressed him in black trousers, a white shirt, and a red vest. He grinned. 

He always did this when Trevor wasn’t around. He dressed them up in clothing he made himself, coloring coordinating the children with each other or with a certain parent. Trevor didn’t understand it, he just dressed them in whatever was easiest and still looked nice. He always teased Adrian about turning their children into dolls, and Adrian couldn’t help but get annoyed at it. So he waited until his husband was gone to play dress up. 

Laurent played with toys on the floor. He saw Vlad walk by the slightly cracked door. He stood with haste and slipped out while Adrian was dressing his sister. He ran down the hall after him, but his tiny legs couldn’t keep up with Vlad’s long strides. 

“Poppy!” he exclaimed before he tripped over his feet and fell onto the floor. “Oof!”

Vlad halted and turned around. He walked to the boy and picked him up from under his arms, placing him back on his feet. “Careful,” he said, his voice light. 

“Poppy--” Before he couldn’t finish, Adrian jogged into the hallway, Lisa Marie on his hip. He clenched his fist, panic on his face. 

“Don’t run off on me, Laurent!” Adrian chided. “This castle is too big for that!”

Laurent pouted with a frown. Vlad stared down at him with a raised brow. 

“Perhaps you should apologize to your father, little one,” he said. 

“Sorry Daddy…” Laurent mumbled. Adrian shook his head with a sigh. 

“It’s okay, honey. You just have to tell when you want to go somewhere, alright?” he said. "I don't want you getting lost."

“Okay.”

“I don’t know why he’s so fascinated with you, Father.”

Vlad shrugged. “Children are always fascinated by certain things or people. It’s in their nature to want to learn and discover.”

“Would you…?” Adrian halted, waving his hand to dismiss it. “I have no place asking you that.”

“Would I indulge his curiosity?” Vlad chuckled, already anticipating what he was thinking. “I’ll spend some time with him, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I would appreciate it.”

**~*~**

Trevor stared at the reflection-less mirror. He had told Adrian he was going to check on the Belmont hold and make sure everything appeared as it should. All the furniture they had moved for the children had been returned to the castle. Now Trevor patrolled to ensure there were no hellions that decided to pop up for any given reason. It was quiet, as usual. 

He was used to looking at his gruff stature in the mirror, and it was something he took for granted. He could still see himself if he put a great deal of effort into it, and it _was_ tempting. Part of him was stubborn in realizing he was no longer a human being, as old habits die hard. He walked to the sofa and flopped onto it with a huff. 

Footsteps sounded behind him. He stiffened and turned around, his hand on his whip. He settled when he saw it was his husband, who wasted no time joining him on the sofa. 

“The children are being looked after,” Adrian said with a sigh. “I get a break finally.”

“I never thought you’d be the one to sigh about _finally getting a break,”_ Trevor responded, his arms crossed. “You and the kids are conjoined at the hip.”

“I know I’m clingy. I just fear our family getting separated…”

“I understand. But part of it is you really enjoying being a mama bear.”

Adrian raised his brow and glanced at Trevor. “What happened to Mama Bird?”

“You seem more like bear now than a bird.”

“I’m not following you.”

Trevor chuckled and wrapped his arm around Adrian’s shoulders. “Birds peck, which,  _ believe me _ , you did constantly when they were newborns. Now they cling to you while you tear the throats out of anything you think might hurt them.”

“You make me sound quite violent,” Adrian said with a frown. 

“Tell me how many of those hellions you tore through, then tell me what you were thinking about when you did it.”

“Too many too count,” he mumbled, “and...my children.”

“Point proven.”

Adrian sighed as his eyes fell, his hair drifting in front of his face. “I just...miss them needing me like they did when they were newborns.”

“What?” Trevor blurted, his face surprised. “You miss having to make a fresh bottle every three hours to feed them? The crying that lasted for hours for seemingly no reason? The amount of clothing we had to wash? They were cute as hell as newborns, but that wasn’t easy.  _ At all.” _

“But they needed me all day every day.” 

“They still do.” Trevor paused. An epiphany came to him. “That’s it…”

“What?”

“You  _ like _ to be needed. The needier someone is for what you have to offer, the happier you are.”

Adrian flushed, his eyes wide. “I--S-So?”

“I get why you’re like that, I’ve been married to you long enough to see it. But, Adrian, you don’t _have_ to be desperately needed to have some purpose to your existence. Now with the conflict against Issac is over, you’re thinking about what happens if you feel not needed anymore one day,  _ I know _ .”

“Damn you…”

Trevor squeezed Adrian’s shoulder. “Can’t we just live for each other and our family now? I’m fucking tired. We fought two wars in a five year span.”

“I hope so.” Adrian nodded. “I suppose that’s all we need.  _ Peace and quiet _ .” 

“Sure. I’m the biggest walking contradiction on the planet. And you know what? I accept that. I am what I am. Though, my habits still need to catch up. I’m ready to learn all the supernatural shit I’m capable of now.”

Adrian chuckled. He leaned over, their lips brushing. “I’ve got all the time in the world to teach you.”

**~*~**

Hector walked into the library. The quiet in the days after Issac’s defeat only made his mind louder. The task at hand was to figure out just  _ what to do with himself _ now, which was no easy feat. He had been fighting and getting dragged along for years by forcing beyond his control, and now with those forces gone, he was left clueless of who he was. He thought the library would help him in his search for answers. When he walked in, Vlad and the children were on the floor with a mess of toys, Vlad’s torso towering over them. He gazed up. 

“I got tasked with looking after the children,” he said in monotone. Hector smiled and shrugged. 

“Nothing you haven’t been tasked with before,” he said. 

“Of course,” he chuckled. “It feels a bit nostalgic, I admit.”

Hector took a seat on the sofa across from Vlad. “He grew up quite fast, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did.” Vlad nodded. “He aged normally until about thirteen. Once adolescence hit, he grew into the figure of a young man fairly quick. His mind has always been sharp, but he was a teen at the time. The experience to mature him passed teenage notions came much slower.”

“You can’t rush time, I suppose.”

“No. Some things have to catch up.”

Hector sighed and carded through his hair. “I hope the time comes where I understand what the hell I want to do.”

“Oh, yes,” Vlad said, his tone knowing. “If you pursue the search, the answer will come to you. That, Hector, is definitely a matter of time. You can’t rush knowing yourself.”

“I trust you’d now.”

“Yes,” he chuckled. “If it makes you feel any better, Adrian doesn’t have the answer to that question either. He preoccupies himself with being a clingy father, but that can’t be  _ all _ he is forever.”

“What do you mean?” Hector said, his brows furrowed. 

“It wasn’t long ago Adrian was a teen in a man’s body. He sunk somewhere low, and experiencing rock bottom and clawing out of it matured him. Not only that, but his marriage has taught him a lot about himself as well. He couldn’t rush that. It just came when it did.”

“By your statements it would seem he married quite young…”

“He did. But he was never meant to experience time in the same way as a human. Trevor is older than him by a few years, not that it matters now.”

“How do you feel about that?” Hector asked. “Adrian marrying a Belmont, that is.”

“It’s fine. They suit each other.” Vlad paused. Laurent’s soft breathing filled the space, his body curled against the heaps of fabric of Vlad’s cape. Lisa Marie tinkered with a block, and the sound echoed between them. 

“If Trevor hadn’t stepped in Adrian’s life when he did, my son would be dead,” Vlad finally said. 

Hector stiffened. “What do you mean?!” he exclaimed. 

“He would’ve killed himself, one way or another. He hit rock bottom and couldn’t claw out of it alone. Trevor had to push him there, and even now, Adrian  _ still  _ needs to be pushed to tend to himself. He’s always been that way. He’s a solitary being, and a complete contradiction. He doesn’t need anyone, yet needs everyone at the same time.”

“I’m the same way,” Hector admitted. “If left alone I fear what I might do to myself.”

“You’ve sunk low, Hector,” Vlad said, his crimson gaze staring into Hector’s soul. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but you need to be aware of it. If you leave now, you will fall far and fast.”

“What do I do instead?”

“You stay here, in this castle, and claw your way out of it. By the time you do, your purpose might just present itself to you.”

“Thank you, Vlad,” Hector said, a weight lifted off his shoulders. “You always know what to say.”

“Of course. Just know I didn’t get this way overnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me so long to update, I've been so busy lately, though I really wanted to sit to write more to this story! lol 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos!! <3


	19. Past and Future

A month had passed since the defeat of Issac. Sypha returned to her caravan, seeking to aid those impacted by the curse alongside her people. Hector studied in the Belmont hold and the castle, delving into an array of subjects. Vlad lifted the curse left on the land, though it still needed time to slowly fade. Trevor and Adrian looked after their children, and Trevor learned how to lift things without touching them. He joked he could, “pick up the kids without actually picking them up”, which Adrian quickly declared was forbidden. 

It was quiet one day Adrian was in the library with Lisa Marie. Trevor took Laurent on an “adventure” into the woods, and Adrian would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. He preoccupied his time by reading a book while his daughter played with blocks and dolls on the carpet. 

Hector opened one of the double doors on the far side of the room. Adrian glanced up with a greeting nod. Footsteps echoed as Hector walked over to where he was sitting. 

“Do you mind if I read in here a while?” he asked. 

Adrian shook his head. “Of course not. Feel free.”

It was quiet in the room as Hector sat on the sofa opposite of Adrian and continued reading his book on advanced magic spells. After a few minutes, Lisa Marie threw her doll down and began to crawl in Hector’s direction. Adrian gazed at her, an open hardback in his hands. 

“Lisa Marie,” he called to her. She stopped and looked at him. “You don’t need to crawl, honey. You know how to walk.”

Lisa Marie looked at him a moment, then continued her crawl. Adrian cleared his throat. _ “Lisa Marie,” _ he said again, his tone patient, “stand and walk to where you want to go.”

The baby stared at him. She turned to Hector, who shrugged with a shy demeanor. They continue to share eye contact as she leaned back and sat down. She frowned and Adrian sighed, closing his book. He moved to sit on the carpet. 

“Come on,” he said to her, putting his fingers on her arm. “Walk, sweetheart. You made Daddy so proud the first time you did it.”

She turned her head to him and shook it with vigor. “No.”

Adrian leaned back, his eyes wide. He glanced to Hector, who shared a surprised look. Adrian blinked, unsure if he heard what he thought he did. 

“Did she just…?” he mumbled. 

“Say  _ no? _ ” Hector said. “Yes.”

“S-She’s never said anything before…” Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat. 

“She’s always seemed adamant on expressing what she wants. Now she can articulate it a bit better.”

“Oh, yes, she is very decisive. I’m in for it now…”

Trevor opened the door, Laurent on his hip. Adrian sighed, relieved they made back in one piece. Logically, he understood Trevor was an excellent father that wouldn't let _anything_ happen to their children, but his emotions said otherwise. Trevor put Laurent down. He toddled over to Adrian and sat on the carpet. 

“Hi, Daddy,” he said with a smile. Adrian ruffled his hair. 

“How was your trip outside?” he asked. 

“Yay!” 

Trevor chuckled and sat on the sofa.  _ “Fun _ is the word you're looking for, kiddo.”

Lisa Marie smiled at Trevor and shifted, standing up and taking a few wobbling steps over to him. He smiled and picked her up, sitting her on his lap. “You’re getting better at that, sweetheart,” he cooed to her as he placed a kiss on her head. Adrian deadpanned. 

“She told me  _ no _ when I asked her to stand up and walk just five minutes ago,” he said. 

“She said no?!” Trevor exclaimed. “Papa’s so proud, Lisa Marie!”

“Hey!”

“I thought you’d be crying rivers over her first word.”

“I’m too surprised she deliberately defied me with it.”

“They’re  _ your _ kids. They’re going to catch onto things a bit sooner than normal children.”

Adrian sighed and stood. “I know. I’m going to make some dinner. Would you like anything, Hector?”

Hector shook his head. “No, I’m alright.”

The door clicked shut as Adrian left the room. Laurent played with blocks while the room went quiet again. Trevor glanced around as Lisa Marie pawed at his shirt. 

“You can join us for dinner whenever you want, you know,” he said. 

“What?” Hector said, turning his head. 

“Yeah. It’s no big deal. I don’t eat anymore, but I still like to sit at the table with my kids. It would probably do them well to see other people actually eat food besides Adrian. If you’re up to it, that is.”

“Alright. I’ll join you.” He paused. “You’ve got some adorable kids.”

“Thank you. They’ll be a handful once they're both toddlers, but it’ll be fine. I don’t really need to sleep any more, either. But I still go to sleep when Adrian does…” Trevor mused with a sigh. 

“Must be strange.”

“It definitely is. Being able to raise my kids makes it worth it. How are you holding up?”

Hector shrugged. “I’ve been doing some thinking. I must admit, being around your kids got me thinking about my childhood. I learned of my forging ability at a very young age. Once I came home with a resurrected dog, I was abused by my parents and abandoned by them in every way without them actually kicking me out. After an especially bad beating, I devised to set my house on fire with my parents in it. God, it was brutal, but I was a scared kid that just didn’t want to hurt anymore. I wanted to stop wrapping up my own bleeding wounds on the daily. So I murdered them...in my own self defense, not that it justifies it.”

Trevor grunted and shook his head. “Honestly, I can’t say I would’ve done anything different if I were you. One day the beating wasn't going to be_ just_ a beating. It was going to be your death.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“Something happened to you to make you feel that way.”

“Yeah…” Trevor sighed. He put his free hand on his cheek and leaned on the arm of the sofa. “I’ve only ever told Adrian this, but...the first time I killed someone I was fourteen.”

Hector’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

“The church burned the Belmont hold down when I was twelve. As you can see, it’s still mostly in ruins, because I ran off after that. It killed everyone but me. My father, my two sisters, my mother, and her unborn baby were all burned alive. The only reason I didn’t go with them was because I was fucking around on the balcony connected to my room. I had this trick where I would set up the pillows to make it look like I was sleeping but wasn’t, my mother never caught on. I would draw the curtains to the balcony so she couldn’t see I was there. I would play with toys and throw shit over the railing for fun. So when the house started smoking and I saw flames I climbed the branches on the tree next to the railing and ran around to the front of the house. I was so _naive_, I thought my family would be there, but there were only priests. They didn’t see me as I ran into the woods. When I went back to find  _ anyone _ , there was nothing…

“Shit, I’m rambling off topic…." he said with a sigh. "Two years later, I was fourteen working for a baker to get by. I lived with him and helped him run his shop until he died when I was about sixteen. Anyway, when I was fourteen a priest cornered me in the alley behind the bakery as I was getting rid of spoiled food. He asked me why I didn’t go to church, I didn’t answer. He tried to coerce me there, I said no. He got aggressive when I said, “fuck the church,” or something like that. He pinned me to the wall and...well...there’s no easy way to put this, but...tried to rape me right then and there. So I stabbed him to death.”

Hector swallowed, goosebumps on his arms. He was speechless for a moment, shocked Trevor would tell him such a thing. “They raped Rosaly before she died, I know they did,” he finally said. 

“Oh, yeah. And they probably did it to Lisa, too.” Trevor shook his head. “You know, if Vlad hadn’t targeted  _ everyone _ and just went after the church I wouldn’t have even tried to stop him.”

“I’m surprised you told me that, Trevor.”

“Well, me too, in a way. But, I thought it would serve you well to know you’re not alone in what you've been through. You seem very isolated, with no one to relate to. You and Sypha are the only two people that are always welcome with us, just know that.”

“Thank you. If I’m honest, you, Adrian, and Sypha are all I have. And Sypha travels around a lot.”

“Yeah, she seems to have more people at her side than us three,” Trevor chuckled. “I talk with her about things, but some things I don’t. She’s a woman, there’s some things I wouldn’t try to ask her advice on, like...man stuff.”

Hector chuckled. “I understand.”

“Honestly, I didn’t get along with Adrian when we met. When I came back here to visit him, I flat out lied to him in order to cover up that I loved him. He put the sense back into me, but I think me not wanting to admit it partly stems back to that priest. I was afraid to make any man close to me, especially one that can equal me in a fight.”

“It worked out in the end.”

“Sure did. I’m very thankful for it.”

Hector sighed and gazed to Laurent playing on the floor. “There are so many wayward kids out there. I picked up forging at a young age, which means there are other kids that do too. It might be extremely rare, but those few kids are abused and abandoned. I often wonder how I would’ve turned out if I had a loving support system. That’s all they need, someone that understands.”

“Find them, Hector. Find them and look after them.”

“Do you really think I should?”

“I do. And I know that’s what you’re thinking, too.”

Hector bit his lip. “I don’t think I could set up an orphanage overnight, even if only for one or two kids…”

“No, but you won’t find them overnight either,” Trevor said with a shrug. “If anyone has the experience and wisdom to guide kids with that ability, it’s you.”

“You’re right. I just want them to not have to feel so alone anymore, sort of what you and Adrian have done for me. So, thank you.”

“It’s not a problem. You’ve helped us just as much, you know. If you need help, we’ll give it in any way we can. We don’t any more Issacs running around because they had fucked up childhoods.”

“Agreed.” 

**~*~**

Adrian prepared dinner in the kitchen alone, the fire crackling in the hearth behind him. He decided to back a dozen cookies as a treat for the children, and he took special care to draw happy faces on each and every one. He smiled in triumph when he was done. The door opened. When he turned, Vlad walked through and shut the door behind him. 

“Drawing all over dessert, I see,” he said with a chuckle. 

Adrian chuckled with him. “Mother used to do it.”

“Oh, believe me, she had me lend a hand many a time.”

The cookies were slipped into the hearth. Adrian sat at the table and Vlad followed. It was silent for a few moments. Adrian sighed and ran his nail along the wooden surface. 

“You’ve completed the steps to remove the curse…” he mused aloud. 

“Yes, I have,” Vlad responded. 

“You’ll be returning to your rest now, won’t you?”

Vlad sighed. “I feel as though I sometimes hear Lisa on my head, telling me this or that…”

“What do you mean?”

“I think if I return to my previous state, she might chastise me for leaving the children behind.”

Adrian’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Yes,” Vlad said with a nod. “Laurent has grown quite attached to me. If I left again, if I died, it would put him through heartache that you would have to deal with.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll stay until the children are older. I know Lisa is waiting for me. And I know what she wants out of me.”

Adrian shook his head in disbelief. “That’s _ years _ from now, Father.”

“It’s the blink of an eye for a man like me, son. One day you and Trevor will understand.”

“I’m terrified of it. Our children growing older…”

“Time will come to pass when it does. There’s no use troubling yourself over things so far into the future.”

“Yes, but it’s always lingering in the back of my mind.”

Vlad sighed. “I can’t tell you it won’t, but I will tell you to live your life despite it. You can’t allow it to bog you down.”

“I suppose you’re right…”

“I suppose I am.”

“I only wish the quiet will stay this time…”

“It will. The other vampires don’t know I’m alive, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Adrian glanced over to the cookies, which weren’t yet ready. “There were rumors a vampiress named Carmilla was dredging up forces to invade Wallachia a few years ago.”

Vlad shook his head and rolled his eyes. “She was in my court. She wasn’t very intelligent, Adrian. Not after I died, at least. She thought she had vantage over me, telling me where to take  _ my _ castle. I only did it to hush her, because I knew we’d both be dead at some point.”

“She’s dead?”

“Yes. Hector killed her.”

“What?!” Adrian exclaimed. “Why has he not mentioned this?!”

“She chained him and took him back to Styria. She was too arrogant to remember he’s one of the best forgemasters that has ever existed. Locks on the underworld and souls sometimes work similar to locks on chains and doors, but are far more complex. He didn’t need a hammer or weapon to free himself. He broke out of his cell, found weapons, and stealthed her while she fed on a human peasant. His strategy and timing were impeccable.”

“He has never spoken a word of it.”

“He’s likely pushed it to the back of his mind. After that, he returned to Wallachia, renounced forging, and settled down with Rosaly. A few years of quiet passed while Issac made his way back here from the Sahara. Then, Rosaly was killed, and sparked the chain of events leading to now.”

Adrian rose and took the cookies out of the hearth. “It never ceases to amaze me how much you know.”

Vlad chuckled. “One day you’ll surprise yourself at your own knowledge. Just give it time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trevor's backstory was inspired by the total corruption that was organized religion during the Renaissance. The show goes into it a bit, but there was so much more to it than punishing people who did "black magic", it's actually mind-boggling. If you were a part of the church, it seemed you could do just about anything you wanted and get away with it. 
> 
> I'll likely add one more chapter! The way this is set up could allow for spin-offs.... ;)


	20. Moving Forward

It was just sundown, the beginning of the day for the Belmont family. Trevor had gone to check on his children, and saw Lisa Marie was awake while Laurent was still asleep. He picked her up and took her back to his bedroom and sat her on the bed between him and a sleeping Adrian. He smiled at her, pulling a comb from his nightstand drawer. It was placed in her hand. 

“Here, Lisa Marie, brush Daddy’s hair,” Trevor said to her quietly. Adrian’s back was to them, his thick, long hair splayed across the sheets. Trevor guided her hand, showing her the right movements. 

Lisa Marie carefully brushed through the blonde locks of hair, her face concentrated on her task. Trevor smiled at her, one hand on her shoulder. After a few minutes, Adrian stirred and sighed. 

“Thank you, Trevor,” he mumbled, curling further into the pillow. Trevor chuckled. 

“It’s not me doing that,” he said. 

Adrian turned his head. He smiled at seeing his daughter with a comb in her hand. He shifted on his back and leaned up to kiss her cheek. 

“Thank you for brushing Daddy’s hair, Lisa Marie,” he cooed. “You’re Daddy’s sweet little girl, aren’t you?”

Lisa Marie pouted. She pushed on Adrian’s shoulder with both tiny hands. “No.”

“I don’t think she was done, Adrian,” Trevor said with another chuckle. 

“Oh…” Adrian turned back on his side. “Brush my hair as long as you want, honey.”

Lisa Marie obliged, continuing to brush the comb through his hair. It was quiet for a little while as Adrian dozed. The doorknob turned and pushed open. Trevor and Adrian’s heads shot up to see Laurent standing in the door frame with his stuffed bear in hand. He smiled at them. 

“Hi people!” he exclaimed. Trevor laughed. 

“Did you finally figure out how to escape the crib, kiddo?” he said. 

Adrian gasped. “Are you okay, Laurent?! Are you hurt?!”

“He’s fine, Adrian,” Trevor said, picking Laurent up when he toddled to the side of the bed. He placed the boy in his lap. Adrian sighed as Lisa Marie continued to brush his hair. 

“We’re going to have our hands full soon.”

“It’ll be fun.”

“Isn’t Hector leaving in the morning? We should make sure he has everything he needs.”

**~*~**

Hector sighed as he glanced over his packed belongings. He would be leaving in the morning to pursue his search for children gifted in the power to forgemaster. He didn’t know where he was going, or when he would find them, but he was invigorated nonetheless. 

Two knuckles knocked on the half-cracked door. Hector looked up to see Vlad standing in the doorway. He beckoned him in and sat on the edge of the bed. Hector sat in chair across from him. 

“You’re leaving tomorrow, I hear,” Vlad said. 

“Yes.” Hector nodded. He sighed and glanced out the window. 

“You’re still unsure of yourself.”

“I don’t know if I ought to spend my life doing this.”

“Yet you’re doing it because you want to.”

“Well, yes.”

“That’s enough of a reason.”

Hector looked to him with a furrowed brow. “Really?”

“Your life doesn’t need to be a succession of fighting this battle or that one. There comes a time where you choose what you want to do simply because you want to do it.”

“I’ve always wondered if there were other children like me. They have to be out there somewhere.”

“Oh, they are.”

“Will I be able to find them?”

“Yes,” Vlad nodded, “but it will take time.”

“What if I get exhausted or injured--”

“Then you can come back here,” Vlad interjected, putting up his hand. Hector shook his head in disbelief, strands of hair falling into his eyes. 

“You can’t be serious.”

“You’ve lived here before, and you can live here again. There is no one here that has any qualms with it. Trevor has told you your welcome, but more importantly,  _ I’m  _ telling you.”

Hector swallowed with a breathy chuckle. “You’ve reclaimed your castle, haven’t you?”

“Well, I did build it,” Vlad responded with a light chuckle.

“Thank you, Vlad. I appreciate your friendship.”

“Of course.”

**~*~**

Adrian and Trevor took dinner with their children, Hector joining them. They set the table with smoked meat, bread, and fruit and vegetables. Hector’s mouth watered. He had never mentioned it, but Trevor and Adrian prepared some of the best meals he had had in years. There was always variety and fresh ingredients. It was something that reminded him of Rosaly, and his own lack of cooking skills. Laurent sat in between Adrian and Trevor on one side of the long table, a small seat placed on the bench to help him reach his plate. Lisa Marie sat in a highchair at the end of the table. Hector sat across from Adrian and eagerly ate his food. He didn’t know the next time he would have such a satisfying meal. 

“Hector,” Adrian finally said, “do you have everything you need for tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’m fully packed, thank you,” Hector nodded, putting a piece of meat in his mouth. 

“Good. We packed you a basket of food for the road. Without Trevor eating, we have more meat than we know what to do with,” Adrian chuckled. 

Trevor sighed and swished the blood around in his chalice. “I miss beer and meat…just the animal blood is okay I guess…” he said with dull tone. 

“Papa be okay. Promise,” Laurent said to him. Trevor raised a brow at him, a small smile on his lips. 

“Oh, you’re throwing those words back at me now?” he said with a chuckle. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Thanks, kiddo.”

Hector chuckled with him. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I admit, I’m not the best cook in Wallachia.”

“Perhaps you should leave a few strands of your hair so we can keep in contact with you using the mirror,” Adrian said. “That way, if you need to come back here for any reason you can with ease.”

“Yes, I would appreciate that as well.”

Laurent reached for Adrian’s plate. Trevor wrapped his hand around his tiny wrist to stop him. 

“Hey, what are you doing?” he asked. Laurent stared at him. 

“Strawberry,” he said. 

“You can’t just take food off someone else’s plate. You know that.”

“Honey, you can have Daddy’s strawberries,” Adrian interjected. Trevor put up another hand to halt Adrian’s movements. 

“That’s fine, but he needs to ask.”

Adrian sighed and nodded. Laurent stared at him with a matching pair of lurid, golden eyes. 

“Daddy...strawberry please?”

“Of course!” Adrian said, his voice likely more enthusiastic than it should have been. He piled strawberries onto his son’s plate. “There.”

“Thanks Daddy,” Laurent said with a giggle, his hand already wrapped around a piece of fruit. 

“This is your fault,” Trevor said with another chuckle. Adrian looked over at him with a look of surprise, his eyes wide. 

“What?  _ My  _ fault?!” he exclaimed. “Why?”

“Pretty much the only thing you ate before he was born was strawberries. Now that’s all  _ he _ wants to eat.”

“I--So?!” Adrian retorted. “You try having babies sometime.”

Trevor took a gulp from his chalice with a shake of his head. “No thanks.”

“Hec...tor?” Lisa Marie interjected, her voice tiny and soft. Hector looked at her, his cheeks flushed. Adrian and Trevor stopped their playful bickering and snapped their heads in her direction. 

“She’s never said anyone’s name before,” Trevor said. He sighed and glanced to Adrian. “Three, two--”

“What about Daddy, Lisa Marie?!” Adrian exclaimed, dropping his fork onto the table. Laurent watched him with a strawberry in his mouth. 

“One.”

“Talk to Daddy please! I gave birth to you!”

Lisa Marie stared at him, then turned to Hector. She pointed to the plate of cookies on the table. “Hector…” she said again. 

“You want a cookie?” Hector asked her. She nodded. 

“It’s fine, Hector,” Trevor said. “You can give her one.”

Hector leaned across the table and handed the little girl a cookie. She smiled and took it in her hand, Adrian’s attentive eyes following every move. He sighed with a small frown, his posture sulky. He stayed silent and watched her nibble on the pastry he had spent the afternoon making. 

Laurent finished his meal. He turned to Trevor and patted his bicep. Trevor looked at him. “Need something?” he asked, finishing his chalice. 

He shook his head and smiled. “I love you, Papa.”

Trevor didn’t know it was possible for something to warm his heart and make him cringe at the same time. Adrian stared at their son with wide eyes. Trevor bit his lip. 

“I love you too, Laurent,” he mumbled, waiting for the avalanche that was about to take place. 

“W-Why don’t my children want to talk with me?” Adrian said. “D-Don’t you love Daddy too?!”

“Laurent and Lisa Marie Belmont,” Trevor said with a sigh, “please, for the love of  _ God _ , make your sulky, overly-emotional father happy.”

“Trevor doesn’t make you cookies! Or--Or sew your clothes! He got the fun part of having children and I got all the pain,” Adrian huffed, crossing his arms. Trevor could tell he was getting moody, and it was being fueled by his jealousy. If his children didn’t include him in their conversations, his clingy side took over, especially given that they were just learning to talk. 

Trevor groaned. “You kids are killing me and I’m already  _ dead _ .”

**~*~**

Trevor stood on the balcony connected to his bedroom. The breeze rustled his hair as he sighed. The grounds surrounding the castle were quiet again. Hopefully this time it would stay that way for more than a few years…

Adrian stepped onto the balcony. Trevor glanced to him, but didn’t say anything as his husband’s arm wrapped around his elbow. They stood together in the stillness, the peace and quiet. 

“The children are taking a nap,” Adrian finally said. Trevor nodded, Adrian’s head on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, Trevor.”

Trevor raised a brow at him. “What for?”

“I’m so fucking clingy,” Adrian sighed. 

“Well, yeah…” Trevor sighed with him. 

“I wish we could have another baby.”

Trevor flushed and swallowed. “Adrian, we don’t need any more children, not that it’s possible now. We can’t have a baby born nearly full-blooded vampire. That’s a combination in totally uncharted territory, a child with a parent just _ barely _ human enough for them to be born. That’s not even a dhampir, I don’t know what the hell it is.”

“Perhaps we could be the ones to find out?”

“I’m not having a kid as an experiment to see what happens.”

“That’s what we did the first time we had a baby,” Adrian argued. “It was essentially a fertility and magic experiment.”

“Yeah, because we wanted kids. We have those kids now. I’m sorry I  _ died _ , Adrian. I should’ve been more careful.”

“You’re saying if you weren’t a vampire...”

“Maybe I would’ve agreed. But not now.”

Adrian sighed and nodded with a frown. “I understand…I’m just happy you’re here.”

Trevor unhooked Adrian’s arm and turned towards him. He wrapped him in an embrace. Trevor could tell Adrian was upset and disappointed, and he hated it was him that made him that way. He usually agreed with Adrian when it came to things such as this, but this was one thing he couldn’t consent to. Adrian was usually the overly-cautious one, it was a surprise it was him that suggested it in the first place. Trevor buried his nose in Adrian’s hair and let the breeze fill the air between them. 

**~*~**

Adrian opened the doors to the library. He wanted some time alone to think things over. Another war was over, and another time of peace had come. Everything had changed, and he still needed to process it all. He had taken for granted Trevor’s humanity when they had children, for now he was a different_ being_ altogether. Same person, same personality, yet not the same. Adrian knew part of him was being selfish in his wishes. Perhaps that’s what he really wanted: for the first time in his life, he wanted to put his wants over the state of the world and other people. He had never done it before. 

Vlad turned around from the bookshelf he was at. He shut the book in his hands and placed it back in its place. He walked over to the other side of the room where Adrian was sitting on the sofa. 

“Son,” he said in monotone. Adrian glanced up at him, one fist on his cheek. 

“Hello, Father.”

“What did you come here to brood about?”

Adrian’s eyes widened. He turned his head away with a blush. “N-Nothing…”

“Lies,” Vlad softly chided, “but if you don’t wish to tell me, I won’t pressure you to.”

“I...I don’t want to embarrass myself…”

Vlad raised a brow. “Did you have a disagreement with Trevor?”

Adrian shrugged and nodded. “How do you discern these things so fast?”

“Being old.”

“Fair enough.”

The room fell silent as Vlad stood by the window overlooking the night. Adrian continued his brooding in the quiet, his thoughts dwelling on the conversation that had just taken place with Trevor. Vlad’s gaze was pensive as he studied the landscape. 

“Trevor doesn’t want another child, but you do,” he finally said. Adrian’s skin burned as he refused to answer. Vlad sighed, gaining an answer with the absence of one. 

“You’re just like your mother.”

Adrian gazed up at him with furrowed brows. “What?”

“Your mother wanted another child. I never denied her it, because I knew the day you were born it wasn’t going to be possible. Both of you barely escaped death, and giving birth once destroyed her reproductive capabilities. We both knew that. Yet, it didn’t stop her from brooding about it for a few years after you were born.”

“B-But I can still have a child should I choose...Trevor just refuses to consent to it.”

“Would you _ want _ to have a child without him agreeing with it?” Vlad asked. “If you keep poking the issue, he may just relent and allow it to happen. Yet, that’s no way to have a child, you understand that.”

“He thinks it would be uncharted territory.”

“Because it would be. There’s no record, that I know of, that documents the tendencies of a child born from a vampire and a dhampir.”

“Are you serious?” Adrian said with an incredulous look. Vlad raised a brow at him again. 

“Would I lie to you, Adrian? As your father, I’m not here to placate your wishes. I’m here to guide you to making the right decisions.”

“Shouldn’t we find out what happens? There’s bound to be others out there born of the same relationship…”

“You want to justify your own selfish desires.”

Adrian flushed and bit his lip. Vlad sighed again. 

“It’s your marriage, your family, and your life, son. I can’t tell you I was never selfish in going after what I wanted. Was having a child as powerful as you a good idea for the state of the world? I thought about it before you were born. Despite any possibilities, I didn’t care. I wanted you. I can’t say I regret it.”

“What should I do, Father?”

“If Trevor  _ truly _ agrees to it, that’s between you and him. I can’t lie, I would be curious to see what a child born of that stature would entail. But that shouldn’t be the sole reason you make the decision. Though, with you, I understand that children fill a void in your soul...I can’t help but think I helped put that void there. Take my apologizes, Adrian, whether you accept them or not.”

**~*~**

Adrian climbed into bed at sunrise, Trevor already under the sheets. It was silent between them as they stared at the ceiling, neither saying anything to the other. Trevor glanced over at Adrian with his piercing crimson eyes, and Adrian turned his head to avoid it. He could help but think the tension was his fault for suggesting it in the first place…

“Let me think about it, Adrian.”

Adrian leaned up in bed, his face surprised. “Don’t just say that to please me--”

“Shut up,” Trevor interjected, closing his eyes. “I told you to let me think about. Take that and run with it.”

Adrian sighed and laid back down. He curled into the pillow and tried to settle his thoughts. A fair amount of time passed, and Adrian assumed Trevor was asleep. 

“I love you, you sulky bastard,” Trevor said, cutting through the silence with a soft voice. “You and your fucking baby fever, you damn mama bear.”

“Your the one that never moved the bassinet  _ Lisa Marie doesn’t sleep in anymore _ out of the nursery even though I asked you to multiple times already,” Adrian retorted with the same soft tone.

“Fuck…”

“Don’t agree to things just to please me. You have to really fucking want it and the implications that come with it.”

“I don’t want our family divided because half of us are fucking vampires and the other half aren’t.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“Why is everything so damn complicated with you?”

“I think it’s  _ you _ that’s making this complex now…” Adrian chuckled. 

Trevor chuckled with him. “I suppose so. We’ve got time to think about things now. We don’t need to rush things any more…”

“You’re right.”

“No matter what, you’re stuck with me forever, asshole.”

“And you’re my little fledgling, Trevor…” Adrian cooed. 

Trevor groaned with a playful smile. “Oh bloody hell…this is what I have to look forward to?”

“I love you too, dear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That marks the end of this arc. :)
> 
> I left it open for more, if you guys are hungry for more! I'm kinda hungry for more to be honest... lol 
> 
> Thank you so much for all the support this story as gotten! Many of this story's readers have been reading since the first part, "Stingher", and I am so appreciative of that. Thank you guys so much for being such supportive readers, it's part of what motivates me to keep going honestly. <3


End file.
